Korrasami – The Relative Calm Before the Storm
by MattHunX
Summary: Sequel to "Crowning the Week". The aftermath of the party, changing plans for the city and Team Avatar's proper reunion in action.


**Korrasami – The Relative Calm Before the Storm**

**Author's note: **Sequel to "Crowning the Week". The aftermath of the party, changing plans for the city and Team Avatar's proper reunion in action.

What she saw could not be rightly called darkness, as it was pleasant and warm. The feeling even stronger than the sun's light on her dark skin as her eyes slowly opened and her mind struggled to clear away the fog. Only when it could not did she realize it was not her vision that was blurry, but the windows of the car that had literally steamed up during the night and were now covered in dew as the light of the morning sun could not fully reach them in their shaded spot between the wall of earth and concrete around them. The warmth she felt could not possibly have come from the sun, rather, it came from Asami's naked body that lied on top of hers. Her back was slowly heaving from her calm breathing as she peacefully slept with her raven-hair and head buried in Korra's neck, who blissfully listened to her heartbeat. The moment was soon interrupted by the sounds that she only noticed then. She could hear the rumbling of larger vehicles and what had to have been a clean-up crew that was clearing away the fences, decorations, litter and whatnot. Korra was slightly disappointed when she felt Asami stir, woken by the commotion around them. She heard her murmur something incoherent into her neck, without moving, that almost sounded like baby-talk and Korra flushed from the cuteness of it as she held back a laugh that would have shook Asami awake. She heard it again and it almost sounded like a word, then.

"Hmm...?" she quietly hummed to her if she had actually said something and wondered if she was talking in her sleep.

"Mmmorninnng" Asami managed on her third try. The word was drawn out slowly and quietly as if she had been saying it perfectly clearly, at least in her head, and felt as if she had to repeat herself, because she was not understood.

"Oh, morning." Korra whispered, sheepishly. "Couldn't understand you."

"Mmhhmm..." Came a moan from Asami, in response to both Korra and the latter's fingers tracing her right thigh that was slightly pulled up, over Korra's midriff.

"What time is it?" Asami groaned, sleepily.

"Dunno." Korra said as she glanced around to find Asami's wrist-watch and could see it was close to her left hand. She reached for it, but Asami feebly put her hand out, from its position over Korra's bare shoulder, to stop her and placed her hand over hers, before she could grab the watch.

"I donwanna know..." she moaned and Korra smiled at her behavior. She only saw her like this after a particular night they had in the spirit world. It was the first time both of them had a long sleep that was in each other's arms in almost the same way. They could not guess how long they have slept, what the time was or when they fell asleep. Korra's eyes remained fixated on Asami's naked form on top of her, then moved about to note the closed space they had been in for hours.

"Need some air." Korra muttered and located the latches for the roof and could see the metallic parts that she needed to carefully manipulate. The screws plinked off as they were torn from the frame. Korra extended her hands forward, then pulled them over her head as the roof moved with them, sliding back down and unceremoniously collapsed in the back of the car, as it was forcefully retracted.

"Mmm..." came a groan from Asami, who could not really be bothered beyond that, over the torn roof.

"Uh...sorry." Korra gave a lazy apology and they let out a sigh as they both felt a sudden light breeze that gave them goose-bumps. Korra gazed at the clear blue sky above them and even though they had the roof over their heads the entire time, as far as either of them had remembered, the sky was full of stars they both saw last night. Their minds swirled longer than they did on the dance-floor as it caught up with the morning. "Feels like we're still dancing." Korra commented and Asami moaned a laugh as she found her ear with her mouth.

"You were good." she whispered, nuzzling her ear.

"Who knew I could bend like that!" Korra exclaimed. She was not sure if Asami was only referring to their dancing, though.

"Water...fire...earth...air...spirits...vines...your body..." Asami slowly counted. "And you bend…both ways. That's…two times more than...any Avatar ever could." Asami mused. "Or...1.75, at least." She corrected herself.

"Huh?" Korra gave the top of her head a weird look.

"Well...some of 'm could…surely dance. And…we donreally know…who they…went for. But, none of 'em could…bend spirits or…see through vines, so…it's 1.5." Asami quantified things.

"Uh...aaand you're awake." Korra commented as Asami was making calculations, already. "Maybe some Avatars could send spirits away, too, so...1.25?" Korra asked, uncertainly as she looked at Asami, who peered at her and both furrowed their brows, amazed at themselves that they were seriously having a discussion like that, naked, in a top-down car, between parts of the road, in the middle of the street, doing math. It could not have gotten any more bizarre than that.

"Are you sure we're not still dreaming?" Asami had to ask.

"Well...if you have ones with math stuff in it and me with no clothes, then...no." Korra started to question reality.

"I do have ones about…the latter." Asami had to admit with a naughty smile, then it faded as she added "And the former."

"That's...not helping." Korra groaned. Despite it all, it was perfect the way no dream ever was. Only if they had not remembered every moment from last night would they have seriously questioned the reality of their present situation and how they got there. They heard the birds and even saw some fly over them, then came the laughter of children and the voice of different women, their mothers, calling them all for breakfast. "Guess we missed breakfast." Korra commented without much concern.

"I…donthink we're the only ones." Asami suspected.

"Heh. Yeah." Korra still tried not to laugh much. They have both considered there was a strong likelihood that everyone except Tenzin and his family, was still in bed, or wherever they have fallen asleep after last night.

"We...should get up." Asami suggested, reluctantly.

"D'you wanna?" Korra turned her head a little, so her chin was touching the top of Asami's scalp.

"No." Asami replied and Korra smirked, exhaling as she made a brief joyous moan that sounded like a laugh.

The world around them went on and the noise on the other side of the wall grew, not in loudness, but in sources as the people of Republic City took full advantage of every second of a new day. Korra's right hand was resting on Asami's _other_ cheek and she tickled it, causing Asami to shudder from the sudden sensation and she growled in Korra's ear, more awake. She rolled to the right and her whole body was lying on top of Korra's. She pushed away to prop herself up with her elbows and forearms, her hair draping over and obscuring both of their faces from the sides, as they gazed at each other with a glint in both of their eyes. Korra pressed her lips lightly to Asami's, who responded more firmly, prompting Korra to do the same and the latter sat up with her as they continued. Korra broke away with a surprised gasp, when Asami's hand suddenly moved between her muscular legs, which briefly closed, involuntarily from the nervous response.

"Now!?" Korra exclaimed in disbelief as she stared wide-eyed at her and the firm expression she had.

"Now." Asami growled as she shoved her back down and Korra briefly saw the blue sky, before the fire in Asami's green irises filled her vision. She shut her eyes as a wave of heat washed over her and instead of darkness, she saw a myriad of colors that she could not even name, shine and dance. After a few long minutes, she was sprawled on their make-shift bed and watched as Asami cleaned the sweat off of her body with a piece of cloth from the glove-compartment. Their own clothes were strewn about in the car. Korra's coat was over the dashboard, as she remembered pulling her shoulders back, letting it slide off her back and arms and herself carefully placing it, before being yanked in by an impatient Asami. The latter's dress was crumpled on the backseat, mangled, with the zippers torn, not in a condition to be worn. Korra still had her top and pants to wear, whereas Asami had nothing. Korra glanced at her top and caught Asami's gaze as they were contemplating the same thing. The pedestrians who were milling about on the street, the guards near the building of City Hall and the cars passing by, all halted as they saw and felt the small tower of earth and concrete shake, then sink back into where it was sprouted from. There stood the, now, famous and infamous black sport car. In it, the Avatar was standing in her pelted pants and leather boots, with white strips of cloth wrapped around her chest. To everyone's further surprise, Asami Sato was wearing the Avatar's dark-blue sleeveless shirt, nearly perfectly fitting her form, but still loose around the areas that were filled by the former's famous muscles and had the bottom part of her crimson dress covering her legs, with its top half hanging around her from the waist. While neither of them looked glamorous, it could have been a lot worse.

"That was better than any coffee or tea." Asami commented and revved the engine, giving her a sly smile as Korra sat down.

"Pff. We didn't even make it out of bed, this time!" Korra exclaimed. Shocked by their own lack of self-control and their substitution of a morning workout routine or beverage with a different sort of workout to start their day with.

"Feeling bad about it?" Asami raised a brow and smirked. She already knew Korra had the same answer she would have had.

"Hah. No!" Korra said and they slowly started rolling down the street, towards the docks, getting even more stares than usual. The pair saw a lot more children on the streets. It was a day off for a lot of people and they guessed their parents were sleeping off last night's party, while some of the kids made the most of it, having some fun, mostly free of any adult supervision. Their games and mischief came to a stop as the couple drove by. Balls flew past those who were supposed to catch them. Tikes soaked as they stood still and gawked next to a running fire hydrant. Gardens were turned into ponds as the people tending to them followed the couple with their gaze, hose in hand, the water running. And a postman did not notice a dog mistook him for a tree trunk until it was too late. Korra glanced behind them. "Sorry about the roof!" She looked sheepishly at Asami.

"It's alright. Our new models have automated ones." Asami told her with some pride and Korra looked at her only half surprised. "They were already on the assembly line. Production was stopped weeks before the battle, though." Asami explained.

"So, I'm guessing you don't have many of 'these' out there." Korra patted the side of the car.

"Not of this model. This is personalized. I only need to install the new roof." Asami replied.

"It's good that every time I wreck something, there's always a better one out there, already." Korra joked, though, she still felt awkward about damaging Asami's work.

"I don't even care if you make a habit of it." Asami laughed to herself. "Just don't do it too often or I won't have time to make better models." she added with a smile.

"I'll slow down." Korra promised as they both laughed, making light of it all. They looked at all the hustle and bustle around them. Children climbing trees and vines, playing with the spirits. Smaller shops, at the foot of buildings, doing business, with one customer or more present at all times, ready to buy their wares. Traffic was lighter than usual as most opted for a walk. As the pair looked on, they began to reconsider if the downtown area was worth abandoning completely.

"You know…maybe a new City Hall and Police Station would be good, but…these people sure don't look like they wanna get out of this place." Korra commented.

"You're right. The buildings around the crater were abandoned, but just a couple of blocks from it, everything's back to normal." Asami agreed. "Maybe Downtown shouldn't be abandoned. They can definitely turn part of it into a park and the empty buildings could be renovated and turned into…shops for tourists or even hotels." she reasoned.

"We should talk to Raiko, before we leave the City." Korra suggested.

"Yes. Many people will still need housing, but we wouldn't have to build as much, and the time and resources could be used for something else." Asami said.

"Or you could still build all that and maybe people will move into the city and who knows…maybe City Hall and the Police Station will stay, if the people will." Korra replied and Asami looked at her, then smiled in agreement as the both looked ahead of them with renewed hope. Their moment was interrupted by a strange noise. Asami raised a brow at Korra, who glanced at her stomach and rubbed it.

"Already?" Asami asked in amusement.

"Well, it's been a while since we had dinner." Korra shrugged with half a smile.

"Let's find you something to eat." Asami said and they looked around their immediate surrounding as they were rolling through an open square with plenty of vendors and shops that looked familiar to Korra.

"Hey, I remember this place! When I came to the city, Naga caught a scent and lead us here to…" she looked around at all the new vendors. "That stall!" she exclaimed with a wide smile as she pointed to one with orange curtains around it. "Didn't have this many of 'em, back then." she commented as Asami slowed down and they looked around. "I didn't have money. That's when we went to the park and got some fish from the pond. And, then we met Gommu." Korra smiled at the memory, which she had already related to Asami, when they visited the park that now bore her name.

"Well, that won't be a problem, now." Asami smiled. "Go on!" Korra grinned at her.

"Pull up behind it!" she laughed to herself as she told Asami, seeing as there were no pedestrians on the sidewalk or nearby.

"Okay." Asami let out a small laugh at how it all looked. The brown-haired woman running the stall heard the engine of a car that had parked up unusually close. She was about to pull her curtains aside to see where it was, when a dark-skinned, short-haired woman poked half her body through and had nothing covering her but a few bandages around her chest. The girl let out a nervous laugh and said 'hi'. Only then, did the owner piece together why she looked so familiar to her. It was the Avatar and she also recognized her as the same, once ponytailed, brunette who came by her stall with a huge beast of a polar bear dog and no money, years ago.

"You, again!?" she gnarled at her.

"Oh! Heh. Heh. You recognize me?" Korra grinned, sheepishly.

"Of course I do!" she yelled. "How can I forget that huge white beast that poked its head in here and a girl who wanted one from everything when she didn't even have any money?" she railed and added "And, then she turned out to be the Avatar."

"Well, this girl kinda moved up in the world!" Korra pointed to her chest with her thumb, in pride.

"Oh, yeah? Where're your clothes, then? Lost 'em with your hair?" she asked, folding her arms. Korra pulled the curtains aside, so the woman could see a car parked directly behind her stall and stared at the black-haired, slender woman waving from behind the wheel, who she also recognized. More of a shock to her, was the fact that she seemed to be wearing the Avatar's top.

"Hold on!" Korra told her and she pulled back to open the glove compartment, put her hand inside and fished around in a bag, then took out a stack of Yuans and leaned back inside the stall. She dropped the wrapped bills on the counter that had several plates and metal containers full of all kinds of meats on sticks or cut into pieces on trays.

"We'll have that whole plate, please!" Korra pointed to one that had at least a dozen sticks on it. The woman was momentarily stunned, looking between the Avatar, the stack of Yuans and the plate of food, then quickly wrapped it all up for taking and handed it to her.

"Thanks! Bye!" Korra vanished behind the curtains and the woman heard as their car rolled out. She stuck her head out to stare after them as they went back out onto the road, and have not even bothered to wait for their change. The stack of money they left was way more than enough to cover the expenses. She pulled back inside her stall and looked in front of her, stupefied. Unable to even shrug at the weirdness of it all. Her day was certainly made.

Asami kept to a very slow cruising speed and glanced at Korra to see her holding a meat stick, licking her lips. She smiled at her adorably, then made sure nothing was ahead of them as she could already hear Korra gnawing at the bits of meat.

"Om nom nom…" she heard for a minute or two before it suddenly stopped. She looked down her nose at a meat stick that appeared under it. Korra was holding it for her and Asami started taking bites as they rolled on, able to see the docks and waters of Yue Bay far ahead of them, at the end of the street.

By the time they reached the end, Asami comfortably ate all the meat from the stick and slowed to a stop at the crossing, waiting for the lights. The pedestrians walking by all gave them strange looks. Particularly Korra, who was happily nibbling away, having already chewed over half of the meat sticks bare. They rolled into the parking lot, close to the ferry and Asami had barely pulled her hands back from the wheel when Korra placed the remaining sticks, in their wraps, into her lap. Asami gave a giggle, with her mouth closed as she looked at Korra, who had a thin circle of gravy around her lips as she smiled at her. She cleaned it off with a food wrap while Asami took her time with the meat sticks. Rooster pigeons sat in rows along the telephone lines, ready to ruin someone's day. Seagulls squawked in the air, kiting over the bay, ready to dive for fish or for someone's food in their hands. A ship's horn could be heard some distance away, in one direction, then another one from somewhere else. Korra leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes and listened to the slow waves splashing against the concrete pier. Asami looked at her as she was leaning back. The sun shining on Korra's face as a light wind blew her hair. The latter could feel Asami's gaze on her and opened one eye to look right in hers. Both of them smiled, despite knowing it was the calm before a likely storm. As they have agreed, all thoughts about their upcoming diplomatic mission were banished, as soon as they came, until the journey itself. Asami continued to eat the remainder of their breakfast, then joined Korra and leaned back to bask in the sun for a few minutes, linking their hands. The ferryman raised his head from his morning paper at the relaxing pair and figured they were taking their time, which meant that so would he, especially since he had a feeling they would not be needing his services. A couple of articles later he looked up with only his eyes to the sound of something parting the waters more noisily than the waves were hitting the pier. To his lack of surprise the Avatar was shooting across the bay towards Air Temple Island with that airbender wheel thing of hers, again. With the Sato woman holding onto her like some domesticated hog monkey. He watched from the corner of his eye as the odd couple passed between some boats coming from opposite directions and resumed his reading. Patrolling White Lotus sentries, on the pier, on the path and in the guard hut all looked on as the pair made their usual grand entrance and just when they thought they have gotten used to their antics, they were proven wrong, as they were presented with a partially naked Avatar, who had but a few strips of cloth wrapped around more private parts her. And Asami Sato, wearing the Avatar's usual attire above and her dress, which was reduced to a skirt, by the looks of it. They nearly made it to the women's dormitories, when Kya stepped out from behind the small gate that led to the yard, hands on her hips, smiling as she was fairly confident Korra would stop in time. The latter gasped and slowed her approach, taking a few running steps from the momentum to safely stop.

"Made it out of your little fort?" Kya asked, her smile broadening as she watched Asami climb off and it was only then that she noticed the way they were dressed. "What happened?" She blinked at them with her eyes wide. Before any of them could answer, they heard a deep, slightly concerned voice from the direction of the pond.

"Korra!" They turned to see Tonraq walking towards them with Naga, jumping left and right, behind him.

"Hey, dad!" Korra waved at him.

"What happened? Why are you...?" He immediately trailed off and sighed, folding his arms, as he shook his head with a familiar smile.

He regarded his daughter with a look that said he accepted she was no longer a little girl and whatever she did was her business and he would no longer be awkward about it. After the past few days, he had grown steadily more used to it, faster than he thought he would. Last night was a considerable nudge. Talking with fellow Water Nation people, who could not help themselves from asking the father of the Avatar about her relationship with another woman, the head of Future Industries, actually helped him come to terms with his daughter's private life, even if it did take some pleading from a few of their wives for him to not decline an answer with a fist, at first. The women were much less rabid in their mannerism, but just as curious for the information as their husbands or partners.

"Her skirt wasn't enough? You ripped off her dress, too?" Kya could barely contain her growing grin.

"I didn't tear off her skirt! It was accident. And she took her dress off too fast and ripped the zipper. I barely got my top off, when she pulled me back down and, uh..." She looked at Asami, who was not even trying to hide her face, but stood there with a satisfied and unashamed smile. "...Yeah." Korra finished, putting her hands on her hips and shrugged with a carefree half-smile as Kya was ready to burst towards the end. She raised a brow in surprise at their relaxed attitude, instead of the usual embarrassed glances and flushing. Apparently, Tonraq was not the only one who has gotten more acclimatized.

"Korra! Asami!" They looked to see Pema taking hurried steps towards them. "Goodness! What happened? When we left the party, we saw a huge tower of earth where your car was. Lin did that thing with her bare foot and said you were fine, so we left." she explained.

[FLASHBACK]

"They're fine." Lin rolled her eyes as she could sense how they were moving around in there and slipped her left foot back into her shoe. Kya and Suyin giggled. Both of their cheeks were flushed and their balance was slightly off. The latter was clinging to her husband for support.

"Oh, I bet they are!" Kya exclaimed, barely able to stop laughing until she finished her short sentence.

"What if someone brings that thing down or climbs over it and sees them?" Pema asked, worriedly.

"Mmh! Brin'me some water! I'll make a moat!" Kya was holding up both hands and playing with her fingers.

"Not without an earthben'r you won't!" Suyin let go of her husband and stumbled forward. "I'll help!" She offered and both of them looked about ready to do it, when Lin came up from behind them and put a firm hand around their shoulders.

"Oh, no you won't!" she told them and led the two of them away, listening to their protests.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

"We're fine. Had a long sleep." Korra was quick to assure her, glancing at Asami.

"Sorry we missed breakfast!" Asami said.

"Oh, don't worry!" Pema did a flap with her palm and smiled. "Most of the others did, too! It was only me, Tenzin and Rohan." she added.

"The little guy didn't need much sleep, then." Korra commented.

"Oh, he's getting even harder to handle than Meelo. He's got even more energy!" Pema let out an exhausted sigh and the pair gave her amused, but sympathetic looks.

"When did you all leave?" Korra asked.

"Well, everyone was in bed before midnight." Pema answered in a way.

"The kids were getting up when I came down." Kya told Pema.

"Yeah? When did you get up?" Asami asked. Her smile turning smug.

"Half an hour ago..." Kya muttered, folding her arms. Korra laughed a little. Apparently, she slept in.

"What about Su?" She asked her.

"I told her, back at the party, to give me a call when the world stopped spinning. Nothing, yet." She chuckled to herself.

"Poor Opal..." Asami said as she looked at Korra and they both laughed at the girl, who had to contend not only with their teasing, but her mother's mischievousness, as well, all night. Bolin did not have it any easier, either. Neither did Jinora and Kai. Kya and Suyin made sure they gave them all the advice they never needed to hear.

"We gotta drop by later to see how they're doing!" Korra suggested and Asami nodded in agreement.

"What about Mako and Lin?" Asami asked.

"They left with the rest of us. Probably went home and hit the bed. I'll wait a bit, before calling Lin." Kya told her.

"We didn't even see Wu." Korra commented.

"Or Raiko." Asami added.

"Don't know about him. But, I saw Wu with Mako. He was draggin' him around and introducing him to all the women." Kya told them.

"And?" Korra asked with a curious smile.

"Well, he was better at chatting 'em up than Wu. And he barely said a thing, as far as I could tell. Wu's mouth never stopped, though." Kya rolled her eyes.

"What did you do, dad?" Korra asked him.

"I talked to others from the Tribes. Tried not to hit some of them, when they asked about you two." Tonraq replied coolly, folding his arms. The pair gave him worried looks. "I didn't." he added with a shrug.

"He was pretty popular with the women. You should've seen him dance!" Kya commented and the pair smiled with Korra giving him a surprised look, then a smirk.

"Then, I'm guessing you had success with making business, as well." Asami assumed.

"Talked about some ideas. We'll see what we can do, when we get home." Tonraq nodded to her with a satisfied smile.

"Are you hungry?" Pema asked.

"Nah." Korra said, looking at Asami, who shook her head.

"Got some meat on sticks." Korra told her, giving her father a glance.

"For breakfast?" Pema asked in mild horror, shaking her head slightly with a small smile and looked at Asami as if she was supposed to watch what Korra eats.

"I can't deny her." Asami said with half a shrug. Looking at Korra from the corner of her eye with a loving smile one gives to an irresistible pet, whose appetite should be curbed, but their keeper is unable to manage them. "She's pretty high-maintenance." Asami added as she watched Naga walk up to Korra and sniff her, then she licked her face. Or more like her whole head.

"Tch. Heh. Heh. She can smell it on me. Can't you, girl?" Korra said with a laugh as she held Naga's head, who took a step past her. "Uh-oh." she exclaimed. Naga's large wet nose was near Asami's face, who was nervously leaning to the side before she was nearly tipped over from her huge tongue that slid across her face and she heard Korra snicker.

"I think that was your first time!" Korra exclaimed. "How was it?" she asked her.

"It...was a new experience." Asami said as she ruffled Naga's head with a frazzled look and a smile, getting a happy whine from her.

"Shower." Korra stated what both of them needed and Naga made an inquisitive whine. "It's not you, girl." Korra told her laughingly it was not because of her as she scratched her side. "Later." she said to the others and they both waved as they passed through the small gate, with the arch above connecting the walls to form it, entering the yard in front of the dormitories.

Kai was in front of the women's dorm, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. He pushed off and let his arms down as he saw the pair approach, giving them an odd stare.

"Morning!" He greeted them.

"What's up, Kai?" Korra grinned.

"Waiting for Jinora?" Asami asked him with a teasing look, as if he could lie about it, given where they were all standing.

As if on cue, the main door of the building slid open and Jinora stepped out.

"I'm ready. We can..." she stopped, both in her sentence and her steps, when she saw Korra and Asami. "Uh...hey!...You two." she uttered with some surprise as she looked them over. "What...happened?" she could not help asking.

"Whaddayou think?" Korra smirked at her, with her arm around Asami's waist and Jinora's eyes grew twice as large, but she kept her mouth from hanging open.

"The master still has something to learn." Asami told her in a teasing voice, holding up her nose and Jinora stuck her bottom lip out, with the deepest glare she could muster, which was not nearly intimidating enough and the blush did not help her, either.

"Pema said you guys were all in bed before midnight." Korra told her, seemingly trying to suppress a grin.

"Yeah..." Jinora's response was more of a question to Korra, about what she likely meant to imply with mentioning that.

"Tenzin wore you guys down with all the training and games. So you hadda be way too tired." Korra started to speculate and Jinora raised a suspicious brow at what she was getting at.

"Too tired to experiment, after the party." Asami spelled it out for her. Jinora balled her fists by her side and got on her toes to respond to her.

"Yes! We were!" she yelled and folded her arms indignantly, then let them back down to take Kai's hand and led him away with an irritated sigh, saying no more.

"Heh. Not that...we started early or anything. Right?" Korra let out a somewhat embarrassed laugh, before musing on their own maturity.

"Um, mhh. Right." Asami replied, a little caught off guard by Korra's sudden mention of when both of them had crossed a chapter in their adult lives, together.

"I'm...glad it was you." Korra stated quietly. Her tone was strangely firm and gentle at the same time. "That it 'is' you." she added. Asami was lost for words, without any dirty comments or thoughts. Only feeling her deep love for Korra, welling inside.

"I'm...I'm glad, too." she said with a blush and a smile. Her tone matching Korra's, at the end. The latter had a small smirk as she took a step towards the door and pulled Asami with her, both of them smiling. Their eyes aflame. They casually walked to their rooms without hurry, hearing doors sliding slightly open, then shutting, behind them. Seeing the faces of the female occupants peeking from some in front of them, before disappearing back behind closed doors. Every item of clothing was thrown into a pile for the laundry, except for Asami's dress, which needed mending and was cleaned differently. Korra left her coat in the car, in mint condition, taking good care of it, but having a feeling Asami would make half a dozen more for her, just so she would always have a fresh one to wear. After a long shower and a change of clothes, the pair headed back outside to see what the others were doing.

"I know we talked about it, but we should call Mako and Bolin, later, if they still wanna go tonight." Korra suggested as they were walking down the stairs in the dorm.

"Maybe we should give Su a call, too, before we go over. In case she's...not feeling up to having visitors." Asami said, cautiously.

"Mwhaha. I'll ask Kya if Su called her, yet." Korra replied with a short laugh as they exited the building. Kya was standing at the steps of the wooden passage, near the pond, conversing with Tonraq and Tenzin. The latter turned towards them with a smile.

"Morning! The two of you have made it back safely, I see." he greeted them.

"We weren't in the Earth Kingdom, stopping wars. Yet." Korra replied with some healthy humor.

"It looks like I won't be here when you leave." Tonraq started and the pair's expression turned to surprise and worry. "I'll have to set off early. I'm going in the city this afternoon to meet with members of the Tribe from last night. Those from the South have business and we're all leaving together and we'll stop at the Southern Air Temple." He explained and the pair looked at Tenzin.

"You're going with him?" Korra asked.

"Not to the temple. But, l will be accompanying your father to his meeting today. Though, the islands of the air temples are largely self-sustaining, they could do with a little more trade. Especially since they are still receiving new airbenders. Temporary as their stay will be, for some of them." Tenzin briefly explained his interest.

"That's great! Then, the air temples and the Water Tribes can have a stronger alliance. Both the South and the North." Korra exclaimed, happy that her people were forging new and deeper alliances with other nations. Tonraq nodded in agreement. He knew what it meant, both for his people and for Korra, as herself and as the Avatar.

"Have you heard from Su, yet?" Asami asked Kya.

"She called. Said she's still got a bit of a headache. She invited us for dinner. Bolin and Opal told me to tell you guys you can all go out after that. Mako's coming, too. So he probably knows." Kya explained.

"And Lin? Did you call her?" Korra asked, uneasily.

"Yeah. She's got a lot of work. Figuring out where the new stations should be. Stuff like that. The usual. But, she said she'll make it." she told them.

"That's right. We need to talk to her and Raiko about that." Korra remembered.

"About what?" Kya asked.

"Not abandoning City Hall and the Police Station." Korra answered.

"She didn't sound like she wants to." Kya gave half a shrug. "She just said they'll need more stations, one for every district. The new ones, too. Or they won't have enough."

"I suppose a higher police presence will worry as many people as it will comfort." Tenzin stroked his beard as he made the prediction.

"Well, the President and the Chief already agreed on more stations. We weren't sure if the downtown Headquarters will need to be abandoned." Asami noted.

"It seems Lin will remain there." Tenzin said.

"You think she's attached to the place?" Asami asked him with a smile.

"I would be surprised if she wasn't." Tenzin answered her with one.

"Maybe we don't need to talk to Raiko. If the Chief is staying, maybe he'll want to." Asami suggested to Korra.

"Yeah. And it's not like he's sick of the vines or anything. He's used to the place, too." Korra agreed with a shrug.

"Wait. Are you coming to dinner?" Korra asked her father and Tenzin.

"We'll make it." Tonraq gave half a nod with a smile.

"Negotiations shouldn't take more than a few hours." Tenzin commented, looking at Tonraq, somewhat uncomfortably. But, everyone knew it was well worth a whole afternoon of discussion.

"So, we all have a dinner date, then." Asami quipped.

"That Su!" Korra commented with a knowing smile.

"Actually, it was Bolin's idea and Opal's. She picked up the phone and handed it to Su, but I could hear her and Bolin in the back, talking about your team reunion. They told Su we could all have dinner and then you guys could go out as you would all be there. Su didn't need convincing." Kya explained.

"I bet she didn't." Korra said. "We still got plenty of time 'til lunch, too. We'll see you guys there. Or at dinner." She looked at Asami, thinking they might not have lunch on the island if they went somewhere. They parted as everyone went their own way.

"Looks like we got plans for the evening and after." Korra said.

"I might have something for us. For the afternoon. And now." Asami told Korra and the latter's eyes seemed to flash when the light reflected from them as she lifted her head to look at Asami with curiosity. "I...have some drawing tools. The ones I use for planning. That statue last night gave me an idea for a logo I could put on my...um..." she paused and Korra prompted her with a raised brow. "My...private airship." she finished.

"Let me guess. I 'flying' fortress?" Korra assumed, after seeing her office and put her free hand on her hip.

"You could say that." Asami admitted and Korra's expression barely changed. She was not very surprised, but was still trying to picture what kind of airship could Asami have built that was as heavily fortified as her office, while Asami went on. "Then, we could go to my airfield and I could have them make a template and use it to put the logo on anything in any size. I could make two different versions of it. One for us. Like the one at the party, with the symbol of the Water Nation and the cogwheel. And I have an idea for one that could represent the Avatar and Future Industries, together." she exclaimed and Korra gave her a funny but intrigued look.

"What would that be?" Korra asked.

"Well. I was thinking of a cog that could have the symbols of all four nations in it. That one would be on all of our products. Everything we'd build. Streets, squares, cars...and we could put a statue of it, somewhere." Asami quickly added, as she was getting excited, gazing ahead of her. Korra could only smile at her excitedness and she did not want to tell her to take it easy. Seeing Asami's beautiful face glow, filled her with warmth and made her feel the same way she did. She put her hand on the opposite side of Asami's head, who came back from her thoughts as her head was being turned and she looked at Korra a bit confused.

"What're we waiting? Let's do it!" she exclaimed with the same excitement she always did. Asami smiled and nodded with Korra's hand still cupping her face. A minute after, the ferry was on its way to the island, with a few acolytes who were bringing in supplies, and the ferryman looked on as the two mad women flew across the bay, again. Neither he nor his passengers seemed the least bit phased by the sight, anymore. Korra picked her coat up from the seat, slowly put it on with care and Asami paused to watch her as Korra finished slipping it on and suddenly jumped in the car, over the door. Asami blinked at her, then shook her head in amusement. She took the driver seat and glanced at Korra, who was adjusting her coat and was checking herself pridefully in the rearview mirror. They sped through the streets as Korra kept glancing at Asami, who had a perpetual smile adorning her face, her attention both on the road and elsewhere. Korra became only slightly more nervous with each sharp turn Asami made. The traffic lights seemed to be favoring her zest and gave way in green. Korra barely noted they started crossing Kyoshi Bridge, when they were already halfway through it. She placed her hand on Asami's right thigh, who looked at her, then realized she was speeding and eased up on the gas. She gave Korra a slightly impish smile and the latter only laughed at her with her eyes. They made it to the Future Industries facility and Asami's office. The building did not seem to be filled with people. Only those who were in to supervise for the weekend were in the office. However, there were almost as many workers around as before. Those who worked in shifts did not have the weekends off and were supervised by shift-leaders in the different departments.

The lobby, reception, corridors and the hallway on the top floor with the secretary's spot, were all darkened as no one was in. The lights came on in Asami's office and the latter moved to her desk to collect what she needed to put what she had visualized on paper.

"I only need half an hour. Maybe less." she told Korra.

"Okay. Can I watch this time?" Korra asked.

"Mmm..." Asami gave an uncertain moan.

"Oh, come on!" Korra exclaimed and pressed against her, behind the desk.

"Oh-Alright!" Asami yielded.

"What? You get nervous when someone's watching?" Korra asked her, teasingly and got a small growl, which made Korra's smirk turn into a full grin. She watched in amazement, head occasionally tilting from one side to the other, as Asami's fingers gripped the pencil, rulers and compass to create what was to become a symbol of power and hope. The clock had not even struck ten, when Asami put all of her tools down next to the finished drawing and Korra was leaning over her shoulder the whole time, her smile growing with every new object and detail that Asami added to her concepts.

"These are amazing!" Korra exclaimed. "But…how…are they gonna do this with a template?" she had to ask.

"Not with one." Asami answered her.

"They're gonna need more." Korra figured it out, tracing the symbols, the cogwheel and that of her people and she smiled down at Asami. "You and me." she whispered and they gazed at each other through half-shut eyelids as Korra leaned in further, while Asami slightly rose to meet her lips.

"You and me." Asami repeated when they parted.

"You wanna go to that airfield, now?" Korra asked, while still leaning over her.

"We could leave it for the afternoon. It'll be a longer trip, anyway. We wouldn't make it back for lunch." Asami told her. "Even with the way I drive." she added with half a smile.

"Whaddayou wanna do, then?" Korra asked her, putting her hands on Asami's shoulders to massage them.

"Well, I've…got a lot more paperwork done than I thought I would. So, I don't…really think I need to do any." Asami said as she looked around at stacks of documents on her desk.

"But, you could bring some of it with you, right? I wouldn't want your work to just pile up while we're away." Korra told her with some worry.

"I…could bring some of it. And work on it on the trip. But…I really want to just forget about it all, as long as we're in your home." Asami said as she placed her hand on Korra's.

"It'll be your home, too." Korra told her quietly and lovingly. Asami turned in her seat to smile at her and Korra got down on her knees and held Asami's hands as they rested them in the latter's lap. "Hm…" Korra looked to the side as she wondered what to do until lunch. "Hey…the airfield is the same way all the estates are." she said and Asami did not even have time to nod for her in confirmation. "We could go that way and you could show me all the land where you plan to build the new parts of the city. I wanna see how big it'll all be." she suggested and Asami brightened at the idea. The plans to expand the city included the areas towards the estates and many of them, where the new district and its roads would be, had been marked for construction.

"Alright. I could show you." she agreed.

"And there's gotta be a place to eat, there, somewhere. Right?" Korra shrugged.

"Right. And we can just go to the airfield from there." Asami smiled and Korra stood, pulling Asami up with her.

The front doors of the main office swung open with force as a pair of suited men jumped in their place. One of them nearly swallowed the remainder of the cigarette butt in his mouth. The ash barely fell to the ground along with it, as they stared motionless, while the Avatar and the CEO of the company walked past them, excitedly.

"Huh?" Korra turned around and looked down. "Hey! Put that out!" she pointed to the still smoking cigarette butt on the ground. The man started shaking a bit and let out a whimper as he bent down, immediately, picked up the butt and snuffed it out in the ashtray that stood next to them. Korra joined Asami, who gave her men half a nod with a look that said they ought to be more careful next time. They got into the car and rolled out as the men stared after them.

"Feel like quitting, yet." One of them muttered to the other.

"Are you kidding? After this, I'm gonna need another one." The other said.

The gate was raised, letting them out of the complex and as soon as they were out on the road, Asami found her sunglasses and put them on, giving Korra a smile as she pushed it up her nose. Korra blinked at her with an uncertain smile, before realizing what she was preparing for.

"Wouldn't want my eyes to go dry from the wind." Asami stated it, just to make her intentions obvious.

"Uh-oh." Korra exclaimed and started securing herself with her seatbelt and so did Asami.

They were back on and speeding across Kyoshi Bridge, faster than ever. "Didn't you say it was a long drive even if we'd go fast." Korra asked, while she gripped the door.

"Mhm." Asami nodded with a smile Korra knew well. She was clearly enjoying it all. And so was Korra. Both of their eyes shot up in surprise, when they spotted a police car parked at the end of the bridge, behind a motorcycle. Two officers were standing at a railing with a third man, who they recognized as the three looked their way upon hearing their car as it slowed down right in front of them. The ununiformed man blinked in surprise at the pair. His colleagues were staring from behind him.

"Uh…hey you two." he greeted them, realizing the awkwardness of the situation with the two policemen there.

"Hi…Mako." Korra held up her hand that was gripping the door only seconds ago.

"Hey, Mako." Asami said, uneasily. Sharing an embarrassed look with Korra and none of them could say anything.

"So…in hurry?" Mako tried to ease the tension as he saw the two officers narrowing their eyes a bit.

"Um…we…we were just…uh…" Korra started.

"Practicing! For tonight!" Asami exclaimed, a little nervously, hands still on the wheel and Mako shook his head with a smile.

"So…what's up? Working on a case?" Korra asked, sounding genuinely interested, but also with the obvious intention to make small talk and divert the discussion, before the word 'speeding-ticket' came up.

"Some Triad members dumped a few boxes in the bay from the bridge early this morning, before we arrested 'em. We don't know what was in 'em. They weren't interrogated, yet, when they sent me out to investigate." he explained.

"Hey! Maybe you'll get a lead and we get to bust some bad-guys, later." Korra grinned.

"I hope so. It'd be pretty good if we could stop their operation and have another reunion, at the same time." Mako folded his arms with a smile.

"You're coming for dinner, right?" Asami asked, hoping his case would not ruin their plans.

"Absolutely. Hopefully, they don't call us in until after." he said.

"I don't wanna beat up a bunch of Triad with an empty stomach." Korra muttered and both Asami and Mako smiled.

"So, where're you guys going?" he asked.

"I'm showing Korra where the new districts will be and then we're going to the airfield to give all Future Industries products a new logo." Asami explained and when Mako raised a brow, she added "You'll see."

"Oh-kay." Mako accepted. "See you guys at dinner." he glanced at his colleagues, then back at the pair. "Go on." He let them off, then turned to the officers and said "We're gonna need some boats." beginning the investigation. As they left the bridge, they saw one officer go over to the radio in their patrol car, to call for support units, while the other proceeded down to the docks with Mako.

The pair let out a sigh of relief, having been lucky they got off without their infraction making it in the records. Asami slowed down, keeping her speed just below the limit as they ran through downtown, heading for the middle bridge, out of the three, on the west side of the peninsula. Areas that were to be transformed into the expanding city's new districts were to the southwest and, also, to the northwest, the same direction as the airfield. As they were crossing, Korra gazed to their right at the two tall, white arches and golden pagoda-shaped peaks of Silk Road Bridge. Her eyes travelling along its black suspension cables and looking back at downtown, as memories flooded her of the Equalists and their attack on the Bending Arena and their search for them in the aftermath of their assault. The same time they discovered the horrible truth about Hiroshi. When Asami lost her father, for the first time. She felt an inexplicable sensation as her mind rushed through everything that happened since. How far they have all come. How much has changed. She turned to look at the woman she now fiercely loved and found her beautiful, worried green eyes looking back at her, as they neared the end of the bridge. Asami gazed past her for but a moment, before she understood what was on Korra's mind and searched her eyes. She placed her hand over hers and squeezed it. Korra returned it and smiled at her. As Asami focused her attention back on the road, she had to slow down to be under the speed-limit, once again and glanced at Korra, who looked like she was holding back a laugh.

"If we get a ticket…" Asami started to say.

"I know. My fault." Korra smirked. Enjoying being just about the only thing that could distract Asami.

Korra was looking to their left as they came of the bridge, at the more sparsely populated southwestern part of the city that looked similar to the southeastern industrial area where Asami's office was. The latter slowed down even more to glance between the two sides of the bay and though Korra could not see her eyes, she could tell Asami's mind was constructing something.

"Got another idea?" she asked her with a smile.

"I've had it ever since we restored the Central City Station and the tunnel-system. I thought there could be one connecting the southwestern and southeastern industrial zones. Tracks, as well as a road." Asami told her and turned to Korra at the end.

"A tunnel under the bay?" she asked in astonishment. Wondering how they would manage something like that

"More like, on the seafloor. They'd lower it on the seabed section by section. Each one would be made of concrete over a metal frame. I thought we could use teams of waterbenders to keep a pocket of air around the welders until they'd fuse the parts and they could pump the water out faster. That's…the rough idea." Asami explained as they cruised through the western district, nearing the foot of the mountainous region. Korra could see the machinery that was being prepared and saw the tapes and props that were setup to crudely mark where construction would take place, just so people who saw it could have a sense at how far it would expand the city. They both knew that it would all start and would be well underway during their absence. By the time they would return from their trip, the roads and foundations would be complete. Possibly, the frames of several buildings, as well, at the rate they had predicted it would all go. The zones near the bridges were mostly residential and turned commercial, then industrial the further out they went. Once they passed all of them, they could see several estates, all close to the mountain side. Their design similar to one another in its expansive gardens, decorated towers and arches, spacious, often layered structuring. Still, none of them nearly as grandiose as the Sato Estate Korra remembered, glancing at Asami, who caught her look.

"I know what you're thinking. Their cottages compared to mine." Asami said, somewhat dryly. Without any real humor behind it. She knew her well-earned wealth and reputation had separated her from the rest of society by no small measure. And so it was the case, all her life. As respected as she was by most and as humble as those who worked for her knew she was, there was no denying her status and the gap between them. Korra did not say a word, as she understood her. The rolled up the meandering roads on mountainside and Korra leaned forward to stare ahead of them as they were approaching the entrance of the airfield. The entire place was surrounded by two separate line of fences. One regular. The other, Korra suspected as she saw only strange metal posts, was the invisible, electric barrier. The gate ahead of them had a tower on each side and there were several other towers surrounding the area. Militaristic, in its level of security.

"I'm guessing the place wasn't always this protected." Korra said to Asami.

"No. After the company reverted back to me, when Varrick was arrested, and after I regained its good name…again" Asami let out a small sigh. "I've expanded it and every other facility." she said, with a hint of bitterness.

"Kinda reminds me of the compound I grew up in." Korra told her and Asami gave her a concerned look.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to make you feel like…I…I've just…" Asami struggled to say what Korra already knew. What they have already discussed. But, apparently, it was something that would crop up, again. Just as Korra's guilt over the three years she was gone, this was something Asami would always feel bad about. Like she would need to keep reassuring Korra about her intentions. However, the latter was not going to let her fall into the same behavior she did.

"Asami, I understand. Okay? You don't need to make excuses for wanting to protect me. _Us._" Korra told her and placed her hand over hers as they slowed down to identify themselves at the gate.

They entered and Asami drove towards the showroom and the warehouses near it, where they stored all the equipment they used for cosmetics. Korra was turning her head around to look at all the airplanes and airships that were parked and tied down. Mechanics were lying under some of them, checking them over. There were not many people present. Only the ones who were doing all the maintenance at the weekends to have everything ready and safe for use the next week. The pair got out and Asami found the nearest person in the warehouse, who she froze in place as she made her request and explained to him what she required of them by morning. All the men visibly tensed and even more so when they saw the Avatar with their boss. They relaxed somewhat as Asami talked to them and all proceeded to carefully collect all the materials, after Asami had to tell them to calm down and to not rush it. Asami only hoped her tone was not threatening. It was certainly not her intention to make her men more nervous, but she wanted no mistakes nor delay. She turned to Korra, who was giving her an uneasy and slightly cautious look, with an amused, but still somewhat nervous half-smile. Asami blushed slightly, as her face fell. Realizing she must have been crass, if only a little.

"Did I…sound rude?" she asked, embarrassedly and Korra shrugged.

"Nah. But, I don't think they're used to you being so _bossy_." Korra answered her and Asami buried her face in her palm with a groan. It could have been worse, she supposed. She let her hand down as Korra spoke up. "So…that was it?" she asked her.

"Pretty much." Asami answered.

"It was a long trip." Korra commented. "What time is it?" Asami checked her watch.

"Nearly eleven. It shouldn't take them long to make the templates and we could see how the logos would look. I could paint my own airship, right now and we'd still make it back to lunch." she told her.

"Okay! I wanna see 'em, too." Korra replied with a smile and Asami took her by the arm and started leading her around.

"Let me show you my airship!" Asami told her, excitedly.

Korra looked around at all the airships anchored to the ground, trying to spot one that looked markedly different from the rest, as she was sure that would be Asami's. She did not have to search for long, as she could see it from afar, before Asami even pointed it out. The airship itself appeared to be a combination of the luxurious Future Industries standard, the kind they travelled with when they searched for the airbenders and there were elements in it that also reminded Korra of the ones the police had. In shape, it resemble the former, but was reinforced like the latter. Instead of a phoenix statue mounted on the front, it actually had a ram that Korra could only imagine as a weapon of last resort, for a head-on collision with another ship in the air. In size, it was smaller than both, but Korra had a suspicion there was more to it. The sides of the ram and the ship itself, looked like they could open on certain spots. Knowing Asami, it had to be outfitted with defenses and even weaponry that outperformed anything anyone had seen any airship was capable of.

"There she is!" Asami presented it to Korra. "She's faster and more durable than any other airship out there. It handles better and has automated defenses and weapons." Asami said, proudly.

"You don't say." Korra smiled at her, having expected as much and Asami looked at her with a bit of surprise, before returning her smile.

"I'll give you the tour." Asami told her as they headed up the ramp. There were a few people from the maintenance crew detailing the ship, who paused for a second as they acknowledged the pair, then resumed their work with some haste. They stepped into the galley, which looked reminiscent of the one Korra recalled sitting in, when they discussed different plans to recruit the airbenders with Tenzin as they sat around a table. The room was considerably smaller than what she remembered, but still bigger than anything she had stayed in. What struck her the most, were the colors. Instead of the brighter grey, brown, yellow and cream colors that were in her memory, she saw shades of red and grey with darkened windows that one could not see through from the outside, but those on the inside could see the outside perfectly.

"Everything can be operated from here." Asami said as they went up to the cockpit. "If the ship ever gets into a battle, there are metal plates built in, above the window that can slide down to protect the crew. The anchors and harpoons are made of platinum, so no one can cut them with metalbending. After the Red Lotus, I learned from Su that platinum can't be bent and I wanted to build every metal part of this ship from it, but I couldn't find enough of it. Until now." she looked at Korra. "When we return, I'll rebuild it from the platinum we have. It'll be put to good use. If we're going to travel the world, no one would be able to tear the ship apart so effortlessly. And then, there are the electrical currents that can be channeled to cover some surfaces." she went on as Korra's eyes went wide. "If attackers get on board, the ship goes into lockdown and all corridors can be sealed off and all of them have electrical barriers that can catch them off guard and stun anyone who runs into them. And if they're lightning benders who are skilled enough to redirect the electricity, the sprinklers you see can open completely and flood the corridor with the water reserves, so they'll electrocute themselves. They'll be forced to defend themselves from the electricity and they'll be immobilized while they redirect it, so the electrified water will reach them and they'll be electrocuted either way. In short, the ship should be able to hold out against an assault by benders and non-benders alike. Especially after I have it remade from platinum. Earthbenders won't be able to do anything. Firebenders won't cause any serious damage. And water and airbenders won't be able to hold out for long, either, before they're overwhelmed by the defenses." she finished and Korra looked at her with a stare that showed just as much shock as awe. "If they want to hurt us, I'm going to make them work for it and regret it." Asami added, threateningly.

"I…don't think airbenders will be a problem. At least, I doubt any of 'em will learn to fly like Zaheer." Korra commented and before Asami could reply, she added "Not taking any chances. I know." Asami was grateful for Korra that she understood and that she was not afraid that she might be heading down a dark path. After all, the only thing that was on her mind, was to protect them both. Korra was not finished, though. "Besides, I don't think we should underestimate what non-benders can do…with technology." she gave Asami a knowing smile that faded as she continued. "Who knows what they could use to get to us. And not just in the air, but…when we go out for dinner or something. If they want to hurt us, they'll have a lot of stuff they can use. But, I know you'll think of all of them, before they do." she told her with a proud, confident and loving smile, her eyes gazing sharply into Asami's. "I don't want you to feel bad about wanting to protect us. I know you'll do everything. And so will I." Korra told her firmly. "Like I said. No one messes with us." she repeated and Asami nodded to her, slowly, with a smile that broadened and turned to a smirk before her lips were covered by Korra's. She placed her hand on Asami's lower back and pulled her closer, deepening their kiss. Korra stopped as she peeked over Asami shoulder, out the window and down to the ground, where a few workers were carrying ladders, parts for a scaffolding and flat cut-outs, with shapes she recognized.

"Look!" She nodded to Asami to turn and see for herself.

"They're ready!" Asami exclaimed and they met them outside. They presented the pieces to Asami, who laid them out on the ground to see how they would all fit. Some of the parts had handles and could be joined to make it easier to keep them in place while they use the paint. After the scaffolding and ladders were set up on the side of the airship, Asami grabbed a face-shield and helmet, gloves and a large piece of cloth that she tied around her neck and upper body. Korra could barely hear her mutter to her, through the mask, to stay on the ground, as she watched her climb after the workers, who were pulling the templates with them. They put them in place and Asami used a sprayer to paint over it. The templates were taken down and Asami lifted the face-shield to smile in satisfaction and looked down at Korra, whose grin she could see from all the way up there, as both of them looked at their new logo. A cogwheel, with waves and a crescent moon. The symbol of the Water Nation, representing Korra. Joined with a cogwheel that represented Asami. The other version, the same cogwheel with the symbols of the four nations in it, was also ready and was going to be the new official logo of Future Industries, worldwide. Asami instructed the men to mass produce the template and every existing future industries machinery and every product that did not need to be recalled, should be branded with it, along with the ones that were yet to be made.

"Alright. We've got more than half an hour until lunch. Let's just hope we won't run into a patrol." Asami told Korra with a smile and wild look in her eyes, who raised an amused brow at her and strapped herself in, immediately, as they got in the car. "Ready?" Asami asked her.

"Hit it!" Korra exclaimed and they launched forward, shooting past the gate and the blinking guards, going downhill with full speed. After the serpentine road, the nearly straight road that curved down the valley and towards the city, allowed for such stunts. It did not feel and was not any more dangerous than the Future Industries test course at the Sato Estate or the streets of the city. They went into the city, going through the north-western parts and took Silk Road Bridge on their way back to the peninsula. Travelling along the banks of the bay area, they passed under the two lower bridges, before they turned to see the island, more of the docks, the ferry and the Arena as they moved through the southern edges of downtown, next to the ports.

The ferryman slightly jumped in his seat and his head snapped up from his book at the loud screeching of tires nearby. He stood and saw the skid-marks made by the familiar car as it slid into the parking lot, with a hundred and eighty degree turn and as he saw the two women jumping out of it, he plopped straight back down with a sigh. It was just those two, he thought. Before he even got to the end of the next line, he heard the splashing of water as the sound receded. He could tell by their arrival that it was almost lunch time. The pair rode all the way to the kitchen, where Korra pulled off her coat and gloves and stuffed the latter into her pockets, then found a spot to hung it up outside, so it was safe from the smells and staining. Asami smiled at the way she was treasuring it and waited for her, then they both went inside to help prepare everything. They gathered around the table and lunch began in the usual fashion with everyone in their usual spot. The kids and Kya all but demanded to know where the pair went, grinning in anticipation, which faded into disappointment when they told them about their trip to the airfield. They discussed their travel plans with Tonraq, not for the first or the last time, that day. Wanting to be as sure as they possibly could be with the estimated schedule, so there would be less worrying for all of them. The pair and Tenzin suggested Tonraq ran his ideas by them to better prepare for the negotiations.

"Like, I'm the one who should be giving you tips." Korra commented, having a go at herself.

"You are your father's daughter. Your advice actually means the most in this situation." Tenzin mused.

"Uh…I'm not sure if that'll be a good or a bad thing." Korra let out a nervous laugh.

"You're more level-headed than I am." Tonraq smiled at her. "In fact, you've been more level-headed, since…you came back." he added and Korra lowered her gaze, slightly embarrassed by the praise from her father.

"Maybe it's the hair." Ikki commented.

"Yeah. All the rage was in there." Kya chipped in and Asami ruffled Korra's hair as the latter made faces.

"Hey, how come you're not coming with us?" It occurred to Korra.

"I will. I'll stay for another week. Have some more fun with the kids and Lin and Su, before they're off to Zaofu. Then, I follow you." Kya explained. "Your dad gets a one-week head-start!" she added, looking at Tonraq.

"Before the rumors start. Right?" Asami was not really asking, but stating and Kya's face confirmed it.

"I appreciate that." Tonraq said, dryly.

Tenzin was admittedly curious how both Korra and Asami were planning to handle diplomacy when dealing with the states in the Earth Kingdom and was not truly surprised or worried, when they told him of their attitude towards it all. How they will not let the events of the past few weeks be for nothing. That they will not let it all fall apart, again. He could not really blame either of them, for their aggressiveness. Being adamant about having the warring states fall in line, for the sake of all. Though, neither of them felt ready to get into any details, either with them or between themselves, until they were on their way there, their approach seemed to be similar to Kuvira's. The obvious difference being that neither of them were dictators, who would demand the states to bow to them on the threat of leaving them to fend for themselves in the chaos. Korra having to roll a few heads and step on some toes, as she put it, would still be far more preferable than anything anyone could do to insure a swift response and resolve the matter fast enough, Tenzin had to admit. And for a master airbender to concede that was no small thing. What also assured Tenzin that the two women were not brought down by the weight of their responsibilities and the pending test of their diplomatic skills, was the scene before him. Asami decided to calm a keyed up Korra, who was still threatening yet unnamed and unmet governors with physical harm, by placing a small kale cookie on the bridge of her nose. Korra stared at the cookie that was being pushed her way, as she shrunk and pulled her head back, in confusion at why Asami was trying to put it in a spot on her face that was not her mouth.

"Asami…what're you...?" she trailed off.

Everyone gave weird, but amused looks as they watched Korra, frozen in place, crossing her eyes to look at the piece of food on her nose, unable to move unless she wanted it to fall.

"I saw people do that with their dog." Kai commented and Korra glanced at him, then at Asami and the satisfied smile she was giving her, without moving her head. She thought for a second, then suddenly lifted her head, slightly throwing the cookie upwards, and caught it with her mouth to promptly swallow it. Asami gave a small applause.

"I have two ways, now, to calm you down." she told her.

"Besides the usual?" Korra commented with a smirk.

"This one is for around the table." Asami clarified with an official tone.

"What's the usual?" Kya asked. Having a good idea, already.

"What do you think?" Kya and the pair both turned, along with the rest, to Jinora, who echoed Korra's own words to her. She learned never to ask again, unless she wanted to be teased in turn.

Lunch was over and after helping with the dishes, the pair decided to walk around the island in search of a nice shady spot under a tree, to lie down, rather than go back to their room. It was time for a siesta, again and the purring had begun as Korra laid her head on Asami's lap, while the latter stroked her hair with one hand and traced her abdomen and her full belly, with the other. It did not take long for them to doze off. Their ears barely registered the dulled sound of a ship's horn, somewhere in the bay and the songs of the birds above them were equally as faint as the slowly came to. Asami's eyes opened to see Korra gazing up at her through half-shut eyelids. The latter lazily lifted her left hand to trace Asami's chin with her fingers. Her right hand was still holding Asami's left, over her chest. She clasped Korra's hand on her chin with her right hand and stroked Korra's with her thumb. It was only after she looked up from their play that she noticed the angle of the shadows cast by the tree and could tell the sun had moved across the sky some. She blinked in momentary surprise as Korra shot up from her lap, then reached over to the other side of her to support herself with her left hand and turned to lean in front of her with a smile, her eyes full of energy.

"Hi." she said.

"Uh…hi-mmh…" Asami gave her a strange look at her greeting and attempted to reply, but was cut off by a kiss and she moaned into it. "Hi." she said at the end. Korra only looked around, then.

"What time is it?" she asked, noting the sun had moved.

"Almost three." Asami answered, after looking at her watch.

The pair got up and walked towards the temple to see who they would run into. They came to the airbender training ground, where they could see the merciless drill instructor, Meelo, putting the recruits through some tough routines with Bumi and Ikki pulling them to their feet and helping them put themselves back together after having been smacked around by the rotating gates and unrefined air blasting techniques. They could see Pema and Kya, the latter amazing Rohan with some water-bending as they sat at the pond. Tenzin and Tonraq had already left to their meeting.

"Hm…I think I should get some exercise in." Korra commented as they observed the scene. "Just to warm up for tonight." she added.

"Good idea. I could do with some practice, myself." Asami agreed.

"Time to put the sweat in sweatpants!" Korra exclaimed.

Naga watched from where she was lying as the two women did their stretches. Korra moved to do her crunches and pushup, followed by some bending exercise, practicing her speed and form and took the time to play some fetch with Naga. She did not want to tear up the place, so she skipped the earth element. Asami was doing gymnastics and also practiced her martial arts and the swiftness of her movements. They put in over an hour of solid training with breaks and were ready to do some more, when Asami had an idea.

"Want to practice some moves with me?" Asami asked Korra, only a little suggestively.

"Uh…" Korra hesitate.

"I'll go easy on you." Asami provoked her, playfully, but Korra was not taking the bait.

"Asami…I…" she started to say.

"The Triad or anyone else we face will come at me with everything, Korra. Including all of the elements. And even if their moves will be...crude…compared to yours…I'll have to deal with them." Asami explained and Korra had to admit she had a point. And she could practice all four elements with her. And with the way they knew each other's mind in combat, no one else was better suited to practice with Asami and throw some twist and techniques in that would test her abilities to dodge and counter. After all, if she could learn to handle some of the things the Avatar could send her way, she would have no problem with the less experienced benders and their much less refined and less effective attacks.

"Alright. But, we should go to the pond. So there's water nearby if…" Korra trailed off, not wanting to picture herself hurting Asami, even by accident.

"I'll be fine, Korra. And we could start with some waterbending moves, then." Asami told her.

"Okay." Korra said with a deep sigh, clearly conflicted by it all.

"You don't have to make a tidal-wave." Asami let out a light laugh. "Just do whatever you think the Triad is capable of." she suggest to her. "They're even less trouble than the Equalists were, from what I remember, and you'll be there with me." she reassured her. "And I'd never suggest we split up, in any situation." she added.

"Good. Cause I'd never let it happen." Korra told her firmly as they stopped next to the ponds, at the rock that stood in the middle of it, where Pema and Kya were playing with Rohan an hour ago. Asami turned to face her and took a stance after noting her words with a nod.

Korra did a motion with her hands and drew water from the pond and used it to surround herself with it as she took a stance.

"You could've attacked straight away, just with a swing of your arm." Asami analyzed and Korra narrowed her eyes at her, because she was telling her she was holding back. She shifted her weight a little, and moved her legs in the process. Without warning, she spun clockwise to do a kick that made the water erupt from the pond and follow the direction of her leg that moved above her head as she did a full circle, before putting it back down, ending up with a wide stance, her weight shifted to the leg she kicked with. Her eyes went wide as she found Asami right in front of her. Her head went past her right shoulder and she felt her grab her right wrist with one hand and could feel her other hand press against her chest as she suddenly started to fall, the leg she put her weight on being kicked from under her, as Asami put her right leg behind Korra's to trip her and pushed her to the ground. It was only after she recovered from hitting the concrete and stared up at Asami that she realized she must have seen what she was about to do as soon as she lifted her leg from the ground and she had ample time to move forward, avoid the water and close the distance to counter-attack. "That's more like it. Keep attacking me!" she told her, firmly and pulled her to her feet, then retreated. Korra fixed her with a glare, getting slightly irritated and surrounded herself with another stream of water, suspend in the air. Asami raised a brow at the repeated move, before dodging from side to side as Korra began shooting ice-spikes at her, replenished her ring of water as Asami dodged the last attack and started making whiplashes that Asami artfully dodged with gymnastic flips, forwards and backwards, to the side, weaving and rolling as the speed of Korra's attacks were limited by how fast she could pull more water to herself. They were drawing attention and a crowd started to gather, staring at them with awe and worry, from a safe distance.

Every time Asami could come closer, Korra would force her back. They were steadily wearing each other down and Korra was growing a little frustrated, both with her lack of ability to land a hit and with Asami's to avoid it. Then again, she was not using all of her waterbending moves. Not even close. The attacks she employed so far were between basic and intermediate, at best. Some might argue it was higher than that with the ice-spikes, but such distinctions were often entirely subjective. She had an impulse to try and end it all with a combo she hoped would come as a surprise. As Asami dodged her last attack with a side-flip, she had expected Korra to follow through with the usual fluidity in her motions. Instead Korra stopped midway through another twist and struck out with her left arm, firing a ball of flame at Asami aimed above and to her side, who recovered from her side-flip in time to jerk back in surprise. The attack forced her to remain in place, just long enough for Korra to hit her with a splash of water that she still had floating around her, when she used her fire-attack. Asami fell forward to her knees from the force of the blob of water hitting her in the back and gasped at the coldness of it, after working up quite the sweat and body-heat. Asami looked up at Korra as she panted. She was breathing just as hard, as she gave her an apologetic look.

"S-Sorry! That…wasn't fair." She hurried to help her up. "I should've stayed with waterbending. I'm sorry! Please don't be m-ah! Mmmh." Her frantic apologizing came to a sudden stop and turned into a surprised, but relieved whimper as Asami pulled her into a kiss.

"It's exactly what I needed." she whispered to her as she sat on the ground, her hand on the back of Korra's head, as the latter was on her knees. "Besides, I…had enough practice with water and…enough practice, for today, anyway." she said between breaths. "We'll…try the other elements…some other time." she told Korra, whose face still showed worry that instantly disappeared after another kiss. They looked around at the crowd their practice fight had gathered, saw Pema and Kya among them. As they glanced around they spotted Jinora and Kai on the roof behind them, looking at them with some relief.

"We should sell tickets for this kinda show." Kya commented. "Imagine all the people who would come to see the famous couple spar!" she exclaimed. "We couldn't fit 'em all on the island."

The spectators shuffled out of the way as the pair walked towards the dormitories to take a much-needed shower.

"It really looked like a stalemate, back there." Korra commented. "But, I bet you would've got to me, eventually." she added.

"Only if you had made a mistake and gave me an opening." Asami replied. "It didn't look like you would." And returned her compliment. "Ready for a tie-breaker?" Asami asked, enticingly. Her tone made Korra stop in her steps to stare at her and she needed but a second, before her body responded to the choice her mind already made and she nearly pushed Asami through the closed doors of the shower room. They both fiddled to find the handle on the door with their hands and pushed it to slide it open, then shut it behind them as they made each other step further in. A second later, the hot water started running and began steaming up the room, their naked figures, entangled with each other, slowly disappearing in the haze.

The springs in Asami's bed squeaked, her raven locks sprawled in every direction as her head hit the pillow. Her arms were thrown out to the side and pinned to the bed by Korra's hands, who was straddling her as Asami gazed at her naked form. Her eyes took in the sight. Even though she had already explored nearly every spot with her eyes, her hands and her lips, it was always overwhelming for her senses to behold. Korra's dark skin, still glistening from the water from their shower. Drops hanging onto her body. Her muscles, flexing some, as she leaned above her. Her neck, shoulders, arms, chest, abdomen, thighs. All of it, might as well have been sculpted by something out of this world. She gasped as Korra kissed her along her collarbone. Korra let out a surprised yelp when Asami pushed herself up, wrapped her legs around her waist and reversed their positions, putting herself on top. She was not complaining. They both knew she actually quite enjoyed being handled in such a way and she smirked at Asami, but her expression soon faded as she stared back into her eyes with a look that seemed familiar to Korra, yet, one she never saw Asami had ever had. Her eyes slowly widened as she remembered where she had seen that exact look before. In her own face, when she saw her own reflection in Asami's eyes, all those times she was overwhelmed by carnal desires. Her expression turned to worry and alarm, her cheeks became a shade of crimson, deeper and far faster than ever before, as she saw Asami's eyes get fixated, after travelling downwards on her body. When she briefly looked back into her eyes, Korra was unable to even utter her name, already paralyzed by just the thought of what Asami was about to do.

"A…" she tried, desperately to call out to her, but she could not will her limbs or her vocal cords to obey her as she watched Asami lower her head between her thighs. Korra shut her eyes as everything went…white.

Neither of them could tell how fast it all happened, as they were lying on the bed, entangled in each other, again. Ready for another shower. Their breathing was steadily slowing down as they gazed at each other.

"I win." Asami muttered, weakly. Her voice was hoarse.

"I…think it's still a tie." Korra replied. Equally as tired, after having returned everything. They stayed like that for another half an hour, drifting off to sleep and woke, just before they heard a soft knock on their door.

"Asami? Korra?" It was Pema. "It's after six. You should get ready. We'll leave in half an hour." she told them. They sat up, abruptly. Surprised at the time. But, the quick nap replenished them and they felt full of energy, again.

"Uh…we'll be ready!" Korra replied and Pema left them. In the beginning, they thought that Asami ought to have been the one to talk through her door, but since everyone already knew what went on behind it, it did not come as a shock for Pema or for anyone to her Korra's voice come from inside Asami's room. After a fast and thorough shower, the pair dressed more for the occasion that came after the dinner. Asami wore her boots, mechanics pants and jacket, with her goggles in her pocket. Korra did not want to bring her coat with them for the patrol, but she put it on for the dinner. Everyone else was dressed in what was serving as their second set of suits and dresses. Less formal than what any of them wore for the gala, the night before. It was a special occasion, though, as it was going to be the last time they would see Suyin and her family and none of them knew for how long. Though, the pair would likely meet some of the others in the morning, before their trip, they would not see any of them for weeks and all would act on that assumption over the dinner. The pair walked towards the spot where they usually met, at the foot of the gates. They saw two sky bison, one handled by Kai, the other by Jinora.

"Hey, you're flying there?" Korra asked, somewhat surprised, as they came near.

"We're gonna show up in style!" Kai exclaimed.

"Hi, Lefty!" Asami went to pet his bison, who recognized the woman he saved from the collapsing air temple when he was just a calf, when he carried her, Kai, Tenzin, Mako and Bolin to safety.

"He could carry all of us, but we thought we'd split the gang between him and Pepper." He indicated Jinora's bison, who roared happily.

"We meet you guys, there!" The pair waved as the bison took off and flew slowly over the bay. Korra turned her back to Asami, while she kept looking at her. "Time for the Avatar Express!" she exclaimed and Asami jumped onto Korra's back, wrapping her legs and arms around her. After a flock of disturbed seagulls, a few annoyed fishermen, a bored ferryman and a couple of gaping pedestrians, the pair was fast on their way to the Four Elements hotel. They did not waste time staking out the place for alternate entryways and marched straight in and through the lobby, up to reception, feeling they should at least announce and register themselves, even though the staff already knew exactly where they were going. They waited for the elevator and got in, pressing their floor, before they stood in the middle to wait for the door to close. It almost did, when to their surprise, it looked as though it was forcibly stopped, left open just enough for them to see a figure, through the crack, approaching them. The doors pulled apart and in walked Lin Beifong in the outfit she wore to the wedding as she let her arms down from using her metalbending to keep the elevator at bay until she got in. She pressed the floor, again, and the doors shut completely behind her. The elevator began its ascent as she stood with her arms folded as she regarded the two women in front of her with a somewhat stern look.

"Hey." she muttered.

"Hey." They both replied, slightly nervously. After a few seconds of silence, Korra chanced some ill-advised small talk.

"So…how's early retirement?" she asked, risking physical harm in a closed space, with the tease. Lin raised an unamused brow at her for trying to imply she could not take it anymore and would retire after their antics.

"Oh, don't flatter yourselves!" she folded her arms and looked pointedly at them. "It'll take more than a rep-sheet you two can rack up, to make _me_ quit." she assured them. "And don't think that none of my officers saw you today." She raised her voice and took a menacing step closer, arms still folded.

"Uh…y-you mean the bridge." Asami guessed.

"Both of 'em!" Lin barked, referring to both Kyoshi and Silk Road, making the pair cringe. "And the mountains." They cringed, again. "And downtown." she added.

"Uh…we didn't wanna be late for lunch." Korra thought some honesty would help and seeing the look Lin gave her, made it obvious, it did not.

"Next you tell me you wanna fund my department with all the money my men will fine you for." Lin said, turning back to Asami.

"Well…that's one way you could look at it." Asami gave a nervous smile and Korra gave a silly shrug, genuinely thinking it might not be such a bad way to look at things. Unfortunately for them, Lin did not share their perspective and the pair realized it, when they saw a twitch in her eye. They felt firm hands clamp tightly onto the top of their heads and they were dragged down and pressed against each other's faces. They were on eye-level with Lin, whose face was dangerously close to theirs and who was ready to discipline them. They started to tremble, along with the entire elevator, when it stopped and the doors opened to reveal a smiling Suyin with her hands on her hips.

"I wondered who was in that elevator." she greeted Lin, who had her head turned towards her and let the pair go, without a second look, causing them to nearly collapse in a heap behind her. "Glad you made it!" Suyin told her. "Mako told me there might be some excitement tonight." she added and looked at the pair behind Lin as the two stumbled out of the elevator and perked up at the news.

"Maybe. If the men can follow the trail he dug up, we should have a hideout full of triad to arrest." Lin commented and the pair exchanged excited looks behind her. Lin caught it, as she turned her head in time to look at them both. "Don't even think about it, you two!" he warned them.

"What? Maybe they'll have more than one hideout. You don't have enough men and you're on vacation, anyway!" Korra told her and Lin hated to even admit she was right. But, only about her manpower. She could not stand being left out of such a huge operation, even if she was supposed to be on vacation.

"Don't worry! I'll make sure she doesn't run back to her job, so soon!" Lin turned back to Suyin at her words and made a defeated face, letting out an exasperated sigh and she headed further inside, while the pair went to hug Suyin. "Oh, the two of you were fantastic last night!" she praised them.

"Thanks! Asami gave me some quick lessons." Korra rubbed the back of her neck.

"And she's a quick learner." Asami commented.

"Indeed. You didn't have more than a day and half to practice." Suyin said in amazement. "If it weren't for the distance and your duties, I would put you in my next performance in Zaofu." she exclaimed.

"Woah!" Korra held up her hands and mirrored Lin's response from a few years ago, when Suyin offered her the same idea. "I've seen what you guys do, there!"

"That might be too big a leap for either of us." Asami added with a light laugh. "And speaking of duties, we might have some more business to talk about. We'll be going to the Earth Kingdom for a diplomatic mission." Asami explained to her.

"I heard." she noted. "Some of the states have grown bold from what Kuvira gave them. As little as it was, they think they can wage a war." she added, darkly.

"Exactly." Korra said, after Suyin nearly repeated her own words on the matter, from her discussion with Asami, the day before. "But, we'll run some ideas past you at dinner…or not. You're call." She did not want to get into details at the dinner, if Suyin was not up for it.

"I don't see why not. We shouldn't exhaust all that we could talk about, before we even sit down. Come on, then!" She invited them further in and they followed her to the small ballroom, where a long table was already set and they could see two name tags opposite from where they assumed Suyin would sit. It was their names, written on the cards. The two spots were reserved for them, apparently. They glanced at Suyin.

"Oh, you wanted us all for yourself, huh?" Asami commented and Suyin chuckled to herself internally as her smile turned smug.

Everyone was present, though not all of them were seated, yet. The table had seats for ten people on both sides and a seat at both ends. They looked around the room to see the twins huddled around the radio, listening to Pro-Bending news. Huan was already in his seat in the third spot from the left, looking bored. Bolin and Opal were next to him and Suyin joined Baatar Sr. and Jr, who were quietly conversing at an end table, behind them. On the right side of the table, Mako was seated with Lin on the right and Kya at the single spot at the end of the table. Pema and the children were standing to their right with Tonraq and Tenzin and Bumi came in with Bum-Ju happily squeaking on his shoulder. Tonraq and Tenzin turned at the sound of Asami's voice to see the pair walk further in just as they noticed them, as well.

"Dad! You guys made it!" she exclaimed.

"How were the negotiations?" Asami asked him and Tenzin.

"Better than we feared, worse than we hoped?" Tenzin looked at Tonraq if he agreed.

"Actually, it was better than we hoped." He corrected with a satisfied look.

"Uh…you know, I never got that saying." Korra muttered with a slightly confused expression. "I'm just glad you both feel good about it." she said with a shrug and the pair went around the table to greet their friends. They carefully skirted Lin and gave a tight squeeze to Mako, then walked past him to Opal and Bolin, who stood up for a double bear-hug, lifting both women. Korra went to hug Opal, who gave a surprised sound as she was lifted off her feet by her, who turned with her and she felt Asami hug her from behind as both of them were chuckling.

"Hey! Oh, you!" she protested with a blush as she noticed the amused smile her mother had as she observed the scene right in front of her. "Mom!" she cried out, desperately. Suyin chuckled to herself, delightfully at the way the pair teased her daughter.

"Uh, guys! She's my girlfriend!" Bolin said, hands on his hips and the pair let her go. Opal stood, flustered and turned her head to fix them both with a cute glare that only made their smiles even broader.

"Baatar. It's good to see you out here!" Korra shook hands and quickly had to add "Well, uh, kinda." as she looked around. They were not exactly outside, but it was a sign of recovery that Baatar Jr. was out of his room and among people. He understood her meaning, of course.

"I'm feeling much better." he assured them and Suyin looked at him with relief and joy.

"Glad you're doing okay." Asami commented and he thanked her, casting his eyes on the ground, then back at Asami, in a remorseful manner and both understood the message it conveyed, but neither of them wished to bring the mood down by bringing up certain events. Asami merely nodded to him that she understood him.

"Are we ready, dear?" Baatar Sr. asked Suyin.

"I believe so." she replied. "Everyone, take your seats and we shall start!" she announced.

The twins occupied the two empty spots on the left next to Huan. Baatar Sr. and Jr. sat on Suyin's left side, between her and Mako. Bumi took the other end of the table with Meelo, Ikki, Kai and Jinora on his right. Asami sat opposite from Opal, with Korra to her right, followed by Tonraq, Tenzin and Pema with Rohan at the right end.

The dishes were brought and Suyin toasted the group. To friendship, to love, to family and to a prosperous future for all of them. They eagerly discussed the pair's mission and what support Zaofu could offer to the Earth Kingdom states, along with Future Industries, in an effort to stabilize the region. Asami and Baatar Sr. exchanged ideas for expanding the maglev network, amongst other plans for development and tried to get Baatar Jr. to take on some of the projects, who gladly accepted the work, possibly feeling he was redeeming himself in a way, though, none felt there was any need for him to do so. Korra tried to whisper some questions to Mako about how he would want to handle things if they got back reports from the investigation and Lin looked at both of them from the corner of her eyes as they so smoothly tried and failed to keep their little plans for the night on the down low.

After the dinner, everyone stayed for another hour as they conversed in groups. Bolin and Opal went for a change of clothes. The latter got into her glider-suit. Mako disappeared for a few minutes as he went down to reception and asked for the baggage he left with them that was his other set of clothes, and he suited up for their patrol. Korra asked her father for some details on his negotiations and went over their travel plans, one last time, as they knew they would not be seeing each other for a week or two, until they met up along the way. Team Avatar and Opal were all set for their night-out on the streets of the city. The pair did not plan on setting off too early the next morning so they were not worried about staying up later than usual. A few years ago, both Suyin and Lin would have had serious objections to the group going out to act like vigilantes. Suyin would have been worried about Opal and Lin would have ordered Mako, as his superior, to stay away from crime, outside of work. However, both women have come to terms with the fact that they were adults and they could take care of themselves and besides that, it was a proper reunion for them, after which they would not see one other for a while. They relaxed and let them have their fun. The pair said their goodbyes to Suyin and her family. Grabbed her for a long warm hug and planted a loud kiss on her cheeks from both sides as she laughed at their affection. They also bid farewell to Tenzin and his family, in case they would not see them in the morning. The man wished them success and luck for their journey and the task ahead of them. The team left the hotel and Mako was about to walk in the direction of his motorcycle, when both Korra and Asami yanked him back and pulled him along, shaking their heads and he just smiled at their silent insistence that he should ride with them in the car, even though they would be packed rather tightly in the back. Korra went to put her coat in the trunk and they all stood around the vehicle and were trying to decide where they should start their patrol.

"Hang on! I get my radio!" Mako exclaimed and went to his bike to detach the portable radio so they could listen in on the frequency the police used to communicate. They could hear him say something into it, then he brought the radio over with him. "Just asked if anyone heard anything about a police raid going down. They're still following up on things. They should have something soon." he exclaimed, sounding as if he was trying to contain his excitement. If they could track down some of the triad, bust a lot of them, with the team, it would really make his day, he thought.

"Those losers don't stand a chance. Even if there's a whole building full of 'em." Korra put her hands on her hips. "They can have all the airbenders they want, too. We saw how they fight." she commented, mockingly as she folded her arms. "And with Opal, we got all the elements on our side, twice over!" she exclaimed, nodding to her, referring to how each of them had a different element they could bend and Korra, herself, had all four, to bring to a fight. "And if that wasn't enough, we got something they don't." she added as she put her arm around Asami's waist and grinned at her.

"Let's go!" Asami said to everyone, after nodding to Korra with a confident smile.

Opal sat between Bolin and Mako, while Korra hopped in next to Asami, as the latter pulled her goggles on. She could not stop a memory from surfacing as she glanced at the rearview mirror. She looked into it to see Korra, with her high ponytail and bangs, being helped into the car by Mako. She remembered the suspicion and slight jealousy she felt. Recalling it did not make her uncomfortable, though. It just seemed like a long time ago. So many things happened, to all of them, in the last few years. And she would never have expected she would love someone as much as she loved the woman sitting right next to her, who was leaning forward at that moment, looking at her expectantly and it made her realize she drifted off.

"You okay?" Korra asked.

"Ah…yes. It just feels…strange, is all. Better late than never, though." Asami commented as she glanced at the others in the back. Mako nodded and Bolin gave an enthusiastic grin.

"Team Avatar is back for an encore, ladies and gentleman!" Bolin exclaimed, getting the attention of a few pedestrians as he stood up in the backseat and spread his arms. "With a special guest-star!" he added as he plopped back down to put his hands on Opal's shoulders, who smiled a little nervously as people actually stopped to stare.

"Let's roll!" Korra turned to Asami with her hand resting on the side of the car.

"Buckle up!" Asami exclaimed as she pulled her electric-glove on and everyone secured themselves with the seatbelts. She revved the engine a few times, pulled the gearshift and slammed down on the gas. The car lurched forward and the speed-o-meter began to steadily climb as the beams of the streetlights and buildings flew by them, along with the surprised and slightly terrified faces of pedestrians.

"Mako, could your investigation narrow down the location of a hideout or more?" Asami asked as they headed towards Kyoshi Bridge, running parallel and under the elevated train-track that ran all the way across downtown and they caught glimpses of the port between the high-rise buildings.

"We got it down to somewhere between the Dragon Flats borough and the Central City Station. And that might be just one." he explained.

"That's where we chased those guys down!" Korra exclaimed, looking at Asami.

"It would make sense if they had a hideout nearby." Mako thought.

They were crossing Kyoshi Bridge as the police radio came on.

"All units! Suspicious activity reported near a….laundry house?" Even the officer in the radio had to question it. "Near a laundry house, northwest of Dragon Flats." he repeated more firmly, after he probably had to be told, again to believe it. "All nearby patrols, approach the location and be on the lookout for possible Triad activity!"

"Laundry house?" Opal made a face.

"Classic! Right, bro?" Bolin said.

"They could be using it as a front. Wouldn't be the first time." Mako commented, knowing from experience, as they came off the bridge and took to the highway to cut through the borough faster. "Uh…" he glanced around, wondering where they will come off, but a daring 'hmm' from Asami, as she glanced at him in the rearview, silenced him. He was definitely not going to question her driving, again.

"To all nearby units, Triad operation is confirmed. Repeat. Triad operation confirmed. Four officers have engaged the suspects and have surrounded the building. We have a vehicle, heading towards the waterfront. Two units are in pursuit." They heard a female officer on the radio. Asami got off at the nearest connection and they could hear the sirens growing louder. A car skidded into view at an intersection in front of them and accelerated towards them on the opposite lane, unaware of them.

"I got this! Bolin!" Mako stood up and nodded for Bolin to brace him, so he could perform his attack without risk of losing balance and falling from the inertial forces. He focused his bending with his index and middle-finger and electricity crackled briefly around his hands, before he extended his arms and pointed straight at the incoming car, frying its engine through the hood with lightning. Smoke was coming up from under it as the vehicle ground to a halt, barely making it past them. At the same time, Mako sat back and Asami hit the brakes as they stopped, just a stone's throw away from the other car. Or a fireball's, as a pair of them was flying straight at them, but were blocked by Korra, who cancelled out the first one with a motion of her hands, as she did in her training. She leapt through the air, punched in front of her, and blew the second away, while sending a blast of air at the goon, whose mind barely had time to process that she bended two elements, before he was sent flying and got the wind knocked out of him _by_ the wind as he hit the concrete. The other three were about to unleash their likely equally as inadequate skills on team, but halted in their charge and looked up in the air in confusion at a flying girl, in a red and yellow suit, who was swooping down, coming right at them. They were still stuck at the fact that she was seemingly flying, to consider what else she could do and was about to do, before the girl pulled her legs under her, then kicked them both outwards, sending a blast of air that knocked one of them to the ground, slowing her own descent, at the same time. The remaining two, gawked at their fallen comrade for a second and failed to react fast enough to the sound of someone landing right between them and they were both sent flying into the nearest wall, on opposite sides of the street, by an air-bomb technique that exploded outwards as soon as Opal landed and performed it. All four men were incapacitated before the others even got out of the car. Asami stepped out from behind the wheel and just prepared her glove, when she had to stop and stare, along with the others as the criminals were taken down. Korra got one herself, but was still looking at Opal in amazement at how strong an airbender she had become.

"Heh! That was fast!" she exclaimed.

"I…thought we should take them down before they'd cause too much damage to…everything. That…was reckless of me. Sorry!" Opal was slightly disappointed in herself. As an airbender, she believed she should have acted less aggressively, but she also wanted to resolve the situation before it got out of hand.

"Are you kidding? You couldn't have handle it any better." Korra told her.

"Or faster. You didn't even leave any for us." Mako added.

"Nicely done!" Asami complemented her, as well.

"Haha! Go, Opal!" Bolin cheered. "Uh…can…someone refuse to get their tattoos, when they become master? Just askin'." he asked. Not entirely sure how Opal would deal with having her head shaved bald and she had the same worry as her expression showed.

"As much as I want to be one…I'm…not sure I'd be able to go bald." she said.

"I'm sure it would be no big deal. It would grow back in a few months. Jinora took it well." Asami commented, remembering how the girl was, after she was anointed a master.

"I…think I would cry." Opal admitted, embarrassedly.

"Wonder how you'd look with even shorter hair." Korra grinned.

"Heh. Heh. I think it would actually suit her." Asami said as she pictured it.

"We'll see as soon as she masters…what….36 tiers of airbending?" Korra thought for a moment, not sure herself.

"Uh…y-yeah." Opal confirmed the number, uneasily.

"Either that. Or you invent a new technique, right?" Asami asked.

"Right. I'm…not sure which will come first." Opal commented. She would be able to master all forms before she might invent a new one or the other way around.

The two police cars that were in pursuit have arrived and found the team in the middle of the road as Korra, Mako and Bolin were effortlessly dragging the downed suspects and threw them in bunch, so they were sitting back to back, propping one another up. All of the four officers stepped out of their cars as the team reassembled in their car and Mako told them to tie the four of them up and as they nodded in compliance, the team rolled out, heading towards the reported crime scene, where a stand-off was happening. Two additional units have arrived at the scene and they already heard on the radio that the street was closed off. As they arrived, there were two police cars on either end, parked sideways in the middle of the road, forming a quick barricade as there was no time to erect barriers. They got out and Mako went to the nearest officer to get a situation report,

"So, what are we dealing with?" he asked as he approached a senior male officer.

"Ah, it's you detective! We have some triad surrounded in that laundry house. We counted nearly half a dozen of them, but there could be twice as many inside. In a basement, probably." he told him.

"Any escape tunnels?" Mako speculated.

"None that we know of. We had the remaining units fan out to guard the sewer entrances, just in case." he answered.

"If they have a tunnel that connects them to the main sewers, they could go all the way out to the waterfront at the bay." Asami reasoned.

"Maybe they're already on the run. We gotta move fast!" Mako exclaimed.

"How do we catch up to them? We can't _fly_ through the sewers!" Bolin gesticulated. Flapping his arms, frantically. They would not be able to move fast enough.

"I can." Korra stepped forward. "I'll run 'em down!" she exclaimed, starting towards the nearest manhole cover and metalbent it off. She stopped and looked back at Asami, who nodded to her. There was no time for worries and they both knew, even though they promised each other they would not split, that they could not let it impede their effectiveness as a team if one of them was needed elsewhere. Korra jumped into the sewer and used her water and airbending to keep herself dry. She glanced around and saw a tunnel stretching in front of her. Forming an air-wheel, she took off in the direction of the bay, hoping she would find some triad, who were escaping through there.

"How do you want to do this?" Asami asked Mako. He assessed the situation. Busting the front entrance down would not be the best first step. It had been barricaded from the inside and they would be bottlenecked the second they would step in. There was a narrow alley between the buildings and it gave him a different idea.

"Bro, let's surprise 'em with a little lava-bending. Bring down that wall, on my mark. Then, kick up some dirt. Opal, you're gonna blow it right in their face. It'll be like a smokescreen." he plotted.

"And I can go in and take some of them down while they're blinded." Asami tugged on her goggles and checked her glove, once more. Mako nodded to her and to Bolin and Opal to get into position. They saw a few pair of eyes peeking through the curtains and piled up furniture, at what was going on outside. Mako raised his hand to give Bolin the go.

"They're up to something." A gruff voice said in the darkened room. The outline of his face barely visible, as the light from the streetlamp could only reach as far.

"We should've run with the others!" Another one said, sounding agitated.

"Don't be stupid! You saw that girl that jumped down the hole? That was the Avatar! The others are already goners. We need to wait some more, before the sewers are safe." A third voice said.

The timing of his statement could not have been any worse as the right wall of the room glowed hot and melted before their eyes. And any illusions they might have had about escaping could not have been destroyed any faster. As the heat from the lava was forced to cool off around the newly made entrance, it was collapsed further in and a blast of air blew the ash and dust in, filling the room and obscuring their vision. Some of them caught glimpses of a slender figure, leaping from and retreating back into the cloud of dust and ash, before they heard the screams of the others and heard the sound of something hitting the ground. They felt their legs being kicked out from under them and then a jolt as electricity ran through their entire body, numbing them as they lost consciousness. "W-Where the heck are they!?" They heard a panicked voice and a blast of air cleared the air to reveal four unconscious bodies lying on the ground and one men standing in the middle of the room, surprised at his own talents, whereas as his one remaining comrade was not nearly as impressed as he yelled at him from where he landed after his outburst.

"You idiot! How about a warning, next time!" He said as he was picking himself up from the ground, then felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey." A voice said and he turned to see who it was, only seeing a flash of neatly cut hair, before he felt a fist in his face as he fell to the ground, out cold. Asami watched as Mako knocked the guy out and moved from her cover behind an overturned table to flank the airbender, who was attempting an attack, but slowed her steps as she observed the unfortunate man. He swung his arms and punched the air several times in front of him to no avail, looking at his hands in confusion. He heard a woman's calm voice from the side and he looked to see a raven-haired beauty with green eyes walking up to him.

"You're not going to airbend like that. You need to calm down." The woman told him and placed a hand, with a strange glove on it, on his shoulder and his world lit up, for a second, before it went dark. Asami stood above him, flipping her hair to get some of the filth out of it, then held a bunch to her nose and sniffed it, making a face. "Korra's nothing going to like that." she commented with some worry.

"Something tells me that'll be the least of her problems." Mako said.

"You want to bet?" Asami challenged him with a smile as several officers entered through the hole in the wall and began handcuffing all the triad members.

"We better check the basement." Mako told them. "Go back to the car and head for the water-front. Maybe you can pick Korra up if she's already done with them." Mako told her and turned to the rest. "We'll take care of anyone who's left and then search the place. See if we can find any info on any other hideouts." he finished and Asami headed back outside to her car with a nod, while Mako, Bolin and Opal prepared to enter the basement as four of the officers took the arrested criminals. Two stayed outside, on the radio and to guard the men that were shoved in the back of two separate cars as they split them. The other two joined Mako and the rest.

"The lady first?" Bolin goofed as he presented the door to Opal, who understood his message and the two officers watched in astonishment as the small woman blew the door straight off its hinges.

"Hmph. So much for reinforced metal." Mako commented. Then again, all of them together almost knocked that giant platinum mech to the ground, he mused to himself.

There was a second door further down some steps and it appeared to be made of thick wood. They heard faint voices from behind it and Mako looked at Opal, who stepped forward as they all prepared to storm the next room and a second later, the door was blown inside.

Two triad members slammed into the damp, mossy walls of the sewer and fell on the muddy ground beneath them as Korra stood victorious, after delivering the finishing blow with an air-blast from a side-flip. More than half a dozen unconscious men were lying face down in the mud, half of whom were knocked out when they bounced off the wall as Korra bowled them over with her air-wheel. The others barely picked themselves up when the dirty water hit them in the face, several times, before they were slapped senseless by it and Korra bobbed and weaved to dodge the attacks of the last two, before she finished them. She touched the walls and used her senses to show her the way and she was also trying to locate a certain person and her vision flashed through the tunnels and the street above to find her heading her way. She found a manhole cover just off to the side and climbed it.

Asami could already see the bay at the end of the road and quickly stepped on the brakes when she saw a manhole cover lifting up from its place, seemingly by itself. She knew better, though and slowed down as it was thrown to the side. It could have been a metalbending triad member, which was rare. A police officer was more likely. Or...Korra. Her face lit up as she saw the dark-blue long-sleeved gloves and short hair pop out. Korra pushed herself up and left the cover where it was. She ran to Asami and hopped in next to her.

"Nice timing!" she commented.

"You, too!" Asami replied.

"Ugh...I smell like...uh...well." She sniffed herself and threw her hand forward, gesturing towards the place she came from as she did not have to spell it out.

"Guess I can't complain, then." Asami said.

"Where're the others?" Korra asked her in surprise.

"They stayed behind to clear the rest of the building, after we took down the men on the ground-floor. They had a basement."Asami told her.

"Oh. I don't think they're getting outta there. I've found their sewer exit." Korra told her. "Nice metal door." she added, smugly.

"Hurry up, already!" A triad member was yelling at two others, who were earthbending their way through the wall and door, trying take it down. "I told them we need more metalbenders, but did they listen?" he muttered to himself and jerked his head towards a loud noise and his eyes grew wide as the thick wooden door flew right into him, slamming him to the ground. The two earthbenders were slow to react and the gang was already inside, before they pulled up a column of concrete to block the entrance, only cutting off the two officers. Before they could make another move, Bolin put in some fancy legwork, making two concrete slabs stick out under them and he tilted them both in the other one's direction. He pushed them against each other and they ended up knocking their heads together and fell to the ground. There were two more in the room. One of them pulled back, into the corner, to the left of the door and escaped their immediate attention long enough that he could pick his target. He chose the girl, standing in the door, in a strange red costume and used both fists to fire a large ball of flame at her that was split in half and dispersed with a kick by a guy who jumped in front of her. He made another kick and there was a flash of light and heat as he was thrown backwards and felt the hardness of the brick wall, before his vision blurred and faded to black. Mako did not have time to react to the second firebender in the far-left corner, who sent a wave of fire at him. He soon felt the heat of his own attack as it was blown away and back at him by a blast of air, immediately followed by a strong under current or wind upper-cut that lifted him from the ground and pushed him up into the upper-left corner and his head hit the ceiling, before he fell to the ground with a loud thud and a defeated groan.

"Thanks!" Mako told Opal.

"Owed you one." she replied.

Bolin forced the column, blocking the door, back into the ground and the two officers were joined by two more as they arrested the five triad members and marched them up the stairs in a single file, after they were slapped awake. Meanwhile, Mako and the others started searching the place, feeling they should not waste time with interrogations.

"I probably should've questioned those guys, back there, but I could feel you were near me, so..." Korra shrugged.

"Don't worry. Mako and the others are searching the place, by now. They'll find something." Asami assured her as they were near the laundry house.

"I've found something!" Opal exclaimed as she unfolded a large paper and Bolin jumped to her side, while Mako walked up from the other. "Look!" She showed them what appeared to be a map of the eastern parts of the city, including the Dragon Flats and the train station, with several locations marked on it. Some of them, Mako recognized as places they have already raided or have suspected to be fronts, like the building they were in, which was also marked, along with the tunnels. One address, written next to a marked location, seemed very familiar to him and he realized why.

Korra and Asami got out of the car as the rest of the team was coming out of the building.

"Mako! Did you guys find anything?" Korra asked.

"You're not gonna believe it!" he answered her and showed them the map. "Look familiar?" he asked Korra, whose expression darkened and it alarmed Asami.

"What is it?" she asked, worriedly.

"It's an old factory building in the waterfront, near the industrial sector. It's where the Equalists took Bolin, after they kidnapped him." Mako explained.

"And where Amon took the triad leaders' bending away. It was the first time I saw it happen." Korra added and she remembered how terrified she felt after witnessing it. Asami could tell just by looking at her face.

"Yeah. Good times. Yeah…not really." Bolin muttered and corrected himself as his smile dropped.

"The place looks more like a warehouse. Wouldn't be surprised if they were using it to store stolen merchandise." Mako commented.

"What they dropped from the bridge?" Asami asked.

"Maybe. We'll find out." Mako said. "Did you find anyone in the sewers?" he turned to Korra.

"Yep. Took 'em out before most 'em even saw me." Korra folded her arms as she boasted a little.

"We radioed the nearest unit and they've found them. All accounted for." Asami told him.

"Nice! They've already called the station and the squads are on their way, but we can make it there, way before them." Mako explained.

"It's close, anyway." Korra nodded, firmly, but with a confident smile that made Asami relax, as she feared that going back there might upset her, which did not appear to be the case, much to her relief.

"Ready to go, then?" Asami asked them.

"You bet!" Korra pulled her by the waist and they were back on the road, seconds later, racing towards the place. They could see the flashing of police lights moving across Kyoshi Bridge as they rolled along the waterfront. Mako told Asami to pull over near the intersection of two minor roads, where the building was. Its front was no longer illuminated by any street lights, as they had remembered. The whole building was dark and gray. It was a boxed-shaped mid-rise with a slanted roof and small, rectangular windows on all sides that were boarded over. They could not see any movement outside and they knew they had to act fast. Mako could not simply tell the squads and the rest of the units on the radio to stop and hang back with their sirens and lights off. He did not have the authority for that, yet.

"If we can get to the wall, do you think you could...look inside?" Asami turned to Korra.

"It's worth a try. We have to know what we're up against." Mako supported the idea. He did not want to question Korra's senses, as he did the last time.

They started to move and Opal split from them and went up on the roof while the rest hugged the walls of the building to their left and stopped at the corner to peek if there was anyone looking out through the windows of the old rally building. They looked up to see Opal nodding from the rooftop and they crossed the road to crouch next to the wall. Opal waited on the roof until it was safe to glide over. Korra placed her hands on both the wall and the ground and concentrated for a few long seconds, before her eyes shot open.

"I saw...about fifteen of 'em in there. Three of 'em higher up." she pointed. "But, I couldn't tell if there are any tunnels." she added.

"It's okay. We can take care of 'em. Just need to know where they are." Mako told her.

Korra described the layout of the place, which was still as spacious as she remembered. Mako suspected they were probably storing stuff in a less obvious place than what used to be the stage and gathering room, so they would not immediately rouse suspicion if someone looked inside. They were six men in the large room the crowd used to gather in. Four of them were around a table, in the center, playing a card game under a single bright light bulb. Another one was sitting by himself in the corner, reading something. The sixth was sitting next to a quiet radio, off to the right side of the room. Three of them were on the balcony overlooking the room and the remaining six were scattered, walking around or sitting on crates, bored out of their minds as they guarded the place. They decided to divide and conquer by taking down the six men, who were alone and separated on either side of the building and in the corridors. None of them were on alert as they were not expecting trouble. But, because the police was coming, the team had to take down at least the six that were by themselves and the three on the balcony, before the police arrived. They signaled Opal to stay put and keep an eye out for others while also trying to convey to her with signing that there were three guys on top who would have to be taken care of. They looked rather ridiculous as none of them knew any proper signs, except for maybe Mako, but he, too was awkwardly gesturing back and forth between the building and up to Opal. After they were sure the message was clear, they went around to the back of the building, where Korra tried her senses one more time to confirm the location of their targets. Bolin quietly melted the brick wall as it was the stealthiest approach. Picking the locks might have been louder. Korra slipped in with Asami, taking one side of the building, while Mako went with Bolin to cover the other. They sneaked through the narrow corridors, going from cover to cover and grabbing the unsuspecting men, pulling them in the shadows with them. Bolin used his earthbending to knock the last one out with a brick to the back of the head and was careful enough not to let it fall to the ground, where it would have nosily shattered. Mako took a few quick, but careful steps to catch the guy and dragged him off.

Korra and Asami took the first two down from the shadows in a similar fashion and Korra used her airbending to suck the last one in from afar, pulling him headfirst into an iron bar in Asami's hand. Any sound he made was also blocked and drawn away by the powerful air current. Korra touched the ground, once again, and nodded, after a few seconds, that they were still in the clear. Korra and Bolin doubled back as they agreed and snuck up the stairs all the way to the top, where Bolin melted the wall and Korra got out to the lower and wider section of the roof, waving to Opal, who glided over to the hole in the wall and landed inside to avoid making much noise on the roof itself. They went back down to be on a level with the three men on the balconies and they could hear the others talking at the bottom. Korra told Bolin to go back down and get ready to move in on the rest, while she and Opal would take down the three on top.

"Something's off! They shoulda been here by now!" One voice said, down below, as one of them was taken down above them.

"They're sure takin' their sweet time! Maybe they're skimmin' some of the stuff." Another voice suggested as another one of them was knocked out, upstairs.

"They wouldn't dare! And as soon as they get here, we'll have our numbers. No one would be stupid enough to try an' bust us, then." A third voice assured them as the third man, who was supposed to watch them from above, was taken out of the picture.

Bolin, Mako and Asami were in position downstairs and Korra and Opal were observing the remaining six from above. They heard the sound of police sirens outside, growing louder by the second and the men, around the table, were on their feet, telling one another to go look outside, something which none of them wanted to do. The arrival of the police actually made their work easier, as it gotten their attention and was forcing them to move around and split up. One headed to the corridor on one side of the room with Mako and Bolin waiting. The other headed to corridor on the opposite side, where Asami was ready. Korra nodded to Opal, who was on the balcony on the opposite side and they prepared to jump into what turned out to be another quick fight that was over before it began. Mako grabbed the guy and pulled him in, into a punch from Bolin that floored him. The other one was zapped by Asami, let out a shriek that got the attention of the four in the middle and two of them stupidly ran towards the entrance to the corridor. Korra leapt from her spot and started to spin in the air slowing her fall and landed between the four men, who all turned towards her. The two that were going towards the corridor, have completely forgot there was probably someone there or perhaps they were more concerned with whom they recognized as the Avatar, who was standing in front of them. Korra did not wait for them to attack and she leaned forward to fire a blast of air at them and raised one leg, with which she fired another at the other two men, attacking in both directions at the same time. A little something she picked up from Tenzin, besides the air-wheel. The pair of men were blown backwards on both sides and Opal landed next to Korra ready to keep them from getting up. Asami sprung from her cover and grabbed one of them, twisting his arms and pinching the right nerves in the right places, as she subdued him. The other lashed out at her, but she caught his arm and pulled him in for a hard knee in the stomach that instantly knocked the wind out of him and she spun the guy around and sent him tumbling towards Korra, who had a hard fist ready for his face. Opal danced behind her as she blew waves of air at the two remaining bad-guys, keeping them busy and wearing them down, while not letting them get a solid feet on the ground, at the same time. She moved closer with every move and put some more power into her attacks, then produced a tornado that lifted the men higher off the ground. She jumped and gained some more height by using her bending and as the two men began to fall she twisted in the air and released a wave of air with a kick that sent them crashing into the boxes behind them.

"Getting creative." Asami commented as Opal turned to them.

"You enjoyed that!" Korra told her with a grin, folding her arms and Opal blushed a little in embarrassment, again.

"Those were the last of 'em." Mako commented.

"I couldn't sense anyone else inside. I could see a basement and tunnels, but it's empty." Korra said.

"Well, you heard these guys. They were at half the manpower. The ones we took out were the other half. They planned on stalling the police until they all escaped through the sewers." Mako told her.

The police surrounded the building from all sides and the raid squads prepared to storm the building, after metalbenders would have forced the door open. Instead, there was the creaking sound of metal being bent and the door folded and twisted before it broke off from its hinges and tumbled to the ground. They exchanged changed surprised looks and cautiously stepped inside to find six triad members, in a heap on one other and Detective Mako hauling two more to the pile with his brother, the mover-star. Asami Sato, the head of Future Industries was pulling another unconscious man with a short-haired woman in a red costume and Avatar Korra was dragging two of them by the legs with one hand holding each. She turned to them without alarm and put her hands on her hips.

"What took you?" She raised a brow and gave them a self-satisfied and smug look.

"There's one more in the corridor, over there." Mako pointed to where he and Bolin came from. "And there are 3 more upstairs." he added and the squads led the other officers around, sweeping the building and arrested all triad members inside.

"That was totally awesome!" Korra exclaimed as they were walking out.

"Sure took 'em out fast." Mako commented with a satisfied look. His day was definitely made.

"And we barely did any property damage." Asami pointed out as they approached her car, where a young officer was writing a ticket, by the looks of it. He tore it from his book and was about to stick it under the window sweeps, when he turned to see who was coming up behind him. Asami raised a brow at him, putting a hand on her hip, practically daring him to give her that parking-ticket. The officer looked the group over, nervously and swallowed hard, then crumpled the ticket in his hands as he sidestepped out of their way and Korra gave a laugh as they gathered around the car.

"What now?" Korra looked at them.

"Well, the night's still young, but…I think those were enough arrests for one night." Asami commented and looked at Mako who nodded.

"Yeah. This whole day couldn't have gone any better. We got over thirty of 'em and crossed off two more hideouts _and_ we have a map with the locations for the others." he listed it all and looked at Opal when he mentioned the map, as she was the one who found it and she smiled back with a nod of her own.

"And we had a nice dinner!" Bolin patted his stomach.

"You're hungry, again, aren't you?" Opal laughed a little as she asked him, knowingly.

"Kinda. Yeah. Must've been all the excitement." Bolin rubbed the back of his neck.

"We'll get you guys back to the hotel." Asami told them and they headed towards the Four Elements, praising each other and a blushing Opal, in particular. Listening to the police, on the radio, wrapping things up and reporting back to the precinct.

"This is Chief Beifong." They suddenly heard Lin's passive voice over the radio. "Did anyone see the Avatar and her little friends at the scene?" She sounded bored because she had expected them to have been around so she was not surprised when she got a response.

"Uh…they…kind of did…most of the work, Ma'am. All of it really." A female officer replied and they could all hear Lin sigh at the other end and there was a brief pause, before she spoke.

"Mako, I want your report on my desk on Monday." She told him. Knowing he was listening. And she was also telling him that he practically had the next day off. But, Mako was not one to slack off, even he was allowed a day-off or there was no case.

"Uh…you're on vacation." he said, cautiously. She was not going to be in to read that report, anyway.

"Don't push it, kid!" Lin barked back and the gang smiled.

They made it back to the Four Elements hotel and got out to say their goodbyes, giving one another hugs.

"We'll miss you guys!" Opal told them.

"Good luck with, uh, diplomacy." Mako made a face at the word and Korra laughed, as it was knew to her, also.

"Who would've thought, huh?" She mocked herself.

"Careful in the desert! Don't crash!" Bolin pointed a finger at them, half-serious and it was his way of saying good luck instead of the usual 'break a leg'.

"I'll try not to crash her ship." Korra promised.

"Our ship." Asami corrected with a smile. "And don't worry! If we crash I have a sand-sailor stored onboard in the cargo hold." Asami told her. "I forgot to show you." she added, looking at Korra with a teasing smile, who thought she was only joking, but her eyes widened and she shot her a glare with half a smile, when she realized she was serious.

"Always prepared." Mako commented.

"We'll see you in a few weeks, Mako." Asami told him with a light chuckle and turned to Bolin and Opal.

"You guys are going back to Zaofu, then who knows where." Korra said.

"Yes. We'll stay for two weeks, then it's…wherever the wind takes us." Opal gave half a shrug and Bolin put an arm around her.

They hugged one more time and everyone went their own way. Bolin and Opal, back to the hotel. Mako mounted his motorbike and rode home to his apartment and the pair took off towards Air Temple Island as they felt the city itself come more alive. The door to the showers quietly slid open and steam escaped the room. There was a soft padding on the wooden floor and Asami's door opened quietly as she stepped through it, leading Korra by the arm, both of them in towels. She pulled her on the bed with her and they kissed each other, not showing any signs of fatigue. They got back earlier than either of them had expected and planned on making every spare second count. Not a single thought was given to what may happen the next day as they carried on, a light breeze moving the curtains in the moonlit room, with the crickets serenading them outside.

**Author's note**: I don't usually have Asami make too many contractions in her speech, except here, where she's a little out of it.

Admittedly, I struggled to decide whether or not I should have them build a new city hall and police HQ or not. And worked that internal debate into the story. I have edited a single sentence in "15 Years Later" so that it would show that the City Hall stayed, and worked out some discrepancies with events.

I'm usually heavily critical of people who speed around, thoughtlessly risking their life for the thrills, because they're car enthusiasts who don't have the sense to go to a proper race-track to do it. Shame about Paul Walker. Even though his friend was driving, and toxicology showed neither of them was under the influence anything, they were enthusiasts and it's very likely they were both out for a thrill, so they're both equally as guilty of foolishly endangering their own lives and losing it. They should've known better and should've been more responsible, especially Walker. It angers me when I see otherwise good souls succumb to such thrill-seeking that costs them their lives and I can no longer look at them with the same respect.

Fashion in the world of LoK and ATLA is influenced from all over the world, including snowboarding gloves and early football pads. So, having sweatpants shouldn't be weird.

I do believe I kept everything clean, here. Nothing explicit, still. Haven't gotten into detail, nor will I, ever. Australian-kiss. Like, a french-kiss, but down under.

"_Better than I feared, worse than I hoped."_ Yeah, that expression still isn't quite clear to me. If I ask someone plainly if things went sideways, pear-shaped or tits-up, I don't want a fucking riddle.

I do believe the fight scenes are adequately paced. They wouldn't take more than a minute. And they generally don't. In the episodes, either. Besides, I do think they can take a dozen triad down easily enough.

Korra can use her spirit-sense without vines, as she did at the train-station, so I thought I'd have her powers grow some, but still be limited.

There's something that I thought I might include in "Crowning the Week", but I didn't. Korra and Asami are the first canonically LGBT characters in the Avatar universe, and the only reason they're the first is because it wasn't okay to write LGBT characters for cartoons, before. And I still strongly suspect we won't see any proper LGBT relationships in animation for a while.

Okay, so the idea was, that since Kya traveled around the word, and Suyin also left at age 16 to look for adventure (and because she had to bail), I thought the two could have met and maybe had a fling. I write Suyin as bisexual and strongly hint at it and that she had relationships with women, before her marriage. I wanted a scene where Korra and Asami observe how Suyin and Kya are dancing together at the party and the way they look at one another and suspect something. They confront them and get conformation that they had a thing in the past, but it was a long time ago. And indeed, it was just a fling and Suyin is happily married and there would not have been any cheating or anything. Lin would have found out and would have been shocked and pissed in equal measure. But, she would have accepted it, even though all of that, together with Korra and Asami's behavior would have only prolonged her vacation as she would have needed even more time off after that. Anyway, just explicitly hinting at Suyin being bi was enough. Having her have a past with Kya would have been too much, even for my canon.

Actually, when Makorra was officially over at the end of Book 2, I really did not know what to expect in Book 3, and I imagined they'd be visiting the Fire Nation and uh…well…the Fire Lord wasn't exactly how I pictured her, all scholarly, glasses and peaceful. I imagined there'd be a Fire Princess who'd be at least bi. She'd have met Team Avatar disguised as a tough street kid, not necessarily ragged clothes, but unassuming. And when they'd have met the Fire Lord, she would have introduced her daughter, who, to the gang's surprise would have turned out to be the same girl. But, alas, it did not happen.  
In Book 4, after seeing the trailer, I was hoping they'd work at least some Korrasami into it. Kuvira would have taken Asami hostage, but not as some damsel, but after the latter had given her quite a headache, destroying things and derailing her plans and taking away her technological advantage…etc. and Korra would have been furious and she would have looked into Asami's eyes and decided she wouldn't lose control and she wouldn't lose the fight. She would have beaten Kuvira without the Avatar State – and so she did, in the show, and it was actually one of my predictions that she would. After that, she would have trapped Kuvira like Aang trapped Yakone, and she would have taken her bending. Her power and her army. Then, she would have approached Asami and from there it could have happened in a number of ways, but all would have lead to a warm, more than platonic embrace and obvious hint at their feelings for each other.

I do strongly believe that e.g.: Nickelodeon isn't completely fine LGBT relationships in animation. They wouldn't have reposted/reused that god-awful Courting Korra – Hearts Will be Bent Valentine's Day nonsense, featuring Makkora. If Korrasami is already canon, why would they harp back to that? My answer is, because they're still not completely okay with showing same-sex relationship. The whole thing was lazily edited together from existing voice-clips and footage that could have been done by a computer-savvy 14-year-old. But, they could have made it with Asami, the same way, with existing material. Instead, they went back to Makorra. Completely butchering and disrespecting the storyline and finale. Sure, it was just a little something for Valentine's Day, a few years, ago, but why not make something new, featuring what IS canon? The answer, to me, is obvious.

I also think Nick only allowed this ending because, without confirmation from the creators, it would have remained ambiguous and only Korrasami supporters would have accepted it as canon. Everyone else would have been free to interpret it differently, as them being just good friends and they would have done it. And they did do it. Before it was confirmed, a lot of people were still in doubt. It needed the conformation and surely Nick already knew it was intended to be Korrasami, but they allowed it on air, because for a large portion of their audience it wasn't obvious, so parents and kids wouldn't get pissy about it. If they had included something more explicit, like a kiss (as with that disgusting Makorra, halfway through the first season, or have included as many growing-closer moments as they did with that pairing 3 or 4 episodes into the whole series) it would have caused an outrage and even more of a controversy than it did.

The network itself isn't progressive. The AUDIENCE is. And given the fact the bigwigs didn't even want a girl as a protagonist at first (because the common "wisdom" was that it wasn't popular with the audience and the male half of it, and the creators themselves have operated under that assumption because of the times we still live in) it shows that the network does not realize the readiness of their audience to embrace certain ideas and themes.


End file.
